Suburban school district to hire armed retired cops at elementaries
Palatine Township Elementary District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson will pursue a plan to use armed retired police officers in schools serving younger children in what he said would be an effort to boost building security.
District 15 school board members endorsed Thompson’s proposal at a meeting Wednesday night. The retired cops would be support employees stationed in the front office of elementary buildings answering telephones, collecting students’ lunch money and performing other duties, but able to put their law-enforcement experience to use if needed.
“As I evaluated all the ways we can spend dollars to make our schools safer, this was a no-brainer,” Thompson said.
But District 15 support employee Anita Jamnik said guns don’t belong in elementary buildings.
“Our office staff have a multitude of responsibilities and care very deeply for the children in their charge,” Jamnik said. “The chance for accidental discharge of a firearm in a school, in my opinion, is far too high a risk and outweighs any benefits of having that gun in the building.” Bob Susnjara, Daily Herald
Man convicted of beating wife to death with weight-lifting bar
A man from south suburban Tinley Park was found guilty of a first-degree murder charge Thursday for beating his wife to death with a weight-lifting bar six years ago.
In convicting Bahaa Sam, 52, the jury rejected a defense that he was insane or mentally ill when he committed the murder, according to a statement from the Will County state’s attorney’s office.
Sam beat his wife to death with a metal bar on the morning of Dec. 19, 2012, prosecutors said. Nermeen Sam was found lying outside of her home with severe trauma to the back of her head.
A witnesses at the trial reported seeing Sam strike his wife outside while his 4-year-old son was nearby, according to prosecutors. Sam’s three children testified against him at the trial.
Sam faces 20 to 60 years in prison. David Struett
Officer-involved shooting under investigation in Country Club Hills
State police were investigating an officer-involved shooting in south suburban Country Club Hills.
The shooting happened Thursday evening near a Bank of America at 4211 W. 167th St., according to Illinois State Police.
One person was reported to be seriously wounded in the shooting, according to CBS2. The incident reportedly began as a robbery outside of a bank, where police arrived and shot a suspect. State police said the investigation was in its infancy and that further information was not available. David Struett
Man found guilty of beating, choking girlfriend in Aurora
Daniel Benson, 30, a man with a history of domestic abuse, was convicted again on domestic battery charges — this time for beating and choking his girlfriend earlier this year in west suburban Aurora.
Benson was arguing with his girlfriend the afternoon of May 19 at their home in Aurora, prosecutors said. The girlfriend was in the kitchen holding their child when Benson punched her in the ribs. She was punched again after placing the baby in a cradle in the living room and fell to the floor, according to prosecutors. Benson jumped on top of her and strangled her with his hands for about 30 seconds until police showed up. David Struett
2 killed in hit-and-run in Park Manor
Two men were killed in a hit-and-run crash early Thursday in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side.
A white Ford Fusion was traveling north at a high speed on the Dan Ryan exit ramp to State Street when it hit another vehicle, which was eastbound on 71st Street, police said. The driver of the Ford, described as a male wearing a black T-shirt and black sweatpants, left the scene.
Jerome Clopton, 35, who was driving the other vehicle, and 42-year-old James Moore, a passenger, were both killed, according to police. Taylor Hartz