Authorities ID Woman Fatally Shot By Cops In Gurnee

The Lake County Coroner's Office has identified a woman fatally shot by Gurnee Police Department officers Wednesday afternoon as Makell Meyerin, 31, of Antioch. Preliminary autopsy results revealed Meyerin died from injuries sustained from multiple gunshot wounds following the officer-involved shooting in the southbound lanes of Route 41 just north of Grand Avenue, according to a news release from the coroner's office. Meyerin was rushed to Advocate Condell Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 2:33 p.m.

Meanwhile, authorities have determined the fatal shooting and a standoff at a home in Antioch, which happened earlier in the day Wednesday, are related, Sgt. Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, said Thursday afternoon. A long-barrel firearm was used in both incidents, according to authorities.

Authorities have also been looking into whether the Gurnee and Antioch incidents are potentially connected to a bank robbery that happened Monday in Gurnee where male and female suspects used an AK-47 to hold up Norstate Bank, the Lake County New-Sun reports. As of Thursday afternoon, Covelli said the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force has not connected the Wednesday incidents to the Monday bank robbery.

Police determined Meyerin was riding as a passenger in a Volkswagen that rammed an Antioch Police Department squad car earlier in the day on Wednesday after the officer attempted to pull the vehicle she was in over. This was after officers in Antioch were first called to the 400 block of Donin Court at about 6:30 a.m. for a solicitor complaint. After the officer attempted to stop the Volkswagen, a witness to the incident reported he saw a long-barrel weapon pointed out of the passenger side window of the offending vehicle and heard a gunshot. Authorities later determined a shot was fired from the suspect's vehicle, Covelli said Thursday afternoon. The vehicle then fled at a high rate of speed, police said.

A short time later, the vehicle was located at a residence in the 40500 block of North Route 83 in Antioch Township, which is a single-family home that is subdivided into several rental units. The Lake County Sheriff's Deputies and Antioch Police Officers established a perimeter around the residence and attempted to talk with those inside. They also evacuated the residence, closed Route 83 between Beach Grove and Grass Lake Road and Metra halted inbound and outbound trains for about an hour Wednesday morning. Several local schools were also placed on lockdown.

After holding authorities at bay for several hours, a man and woman were taken into custody just after 1 p.m. at the home after an officer forced his way in, according to the Daily Herald.

It was determined the female brought to Antioch Police Department was a passenger –a third occupant – inside of the vehicle which struck the Antioch Police Officer’s squad car. She was taken in for questioning and later released without charges, Covelli said Thursday. She was not involved in the Gurnee incident.

Authorities determined the male person of interest was not involved in the Antioch incident and was later released. He did own the Volkswagen involved in the Antioch incident but was not in the vehicle at the time that it rammed the police car, Covelli said.

At about 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, shortly after authorities searched the Antioch home, officers responded to the area of Harper Avenue and Gould Street in Gurnee for a report of a suspicious vehicle, according to the news release. The caller described the vehicle as a white Toyota Prius with a bullet hole in the side of the car. The caller said the Prius had been stopped at a stop sign for a long time and it appeared both the driver and the passenger in the vehicle were sleeping.

When officers arrived, they spoke with two inside the vehicle: a man and woman. The man, a passenger in the Prius, was unconscious and unresponsive, Covelli said. Authorities later determined that man was the suspected driver in the earlier Antioch incident where the vehicle rammed a squad car, Covelli said in a Thursday morning news release.

Paramedics were called to the scene and when they arrived, the woman, who was later identified as Meyerin, fled in the vehicle with the unconscious male still inside. She struck a firetruck while fleeing, police said.

Meyerin then crashed the Prius in Chittenden Park a short time later, authorities said. Gurnee officers arrived shortly after and found she had fled on foot. Authorities then established a perimeter around the vicinity of the car crash, Covelli said.

Paramedics went to the vehicle to assist the unconscious man. He was transported to a hospital where he was treated with symptoms "similar to a drug overdose," Covelli said, and was later released. That man has been identified as Jordan J. Huff, 37, of the 40500 block of North Main Street in Antioch Township, authorities said.

A short time later, Gurnee officers located the woman in the southbound lanes of Route 41 just north of Grand Avenue. Police said she was armed with the long-barrel firearm, which she was waving, as she was standing in the roadway.

The Gurnee officers spoke with the woman for a couple minutes and told her to put the gun down, Covelli said Thursday.

"The Gurnee officers engaged with the woman and she was subsequently shot," Covelli said in an earlier news release. The officer administered first aid until paramedics arrived. The woman was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Two officers involved in the incident were transported to a local hospital for an evaluation and have since been released. They have been placed on administrative leave and an investigation continues by the Major Crimes Task Force to determine any wrong-doing on the officers part, Covelli said.

Huff, the alleged driver in the Antioch incident, has been charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding, criminal damage to state supported property and resisting a peace officer.

More via the Lake County News-Sun

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