Authorities on Monday released video of the fatal July shooting by police of a Pennsylvania murder suspect in northwest suburban Lakemoor.
The shooting was recently deemed justified by the Lake County state’s attorney’s office.
An officer on patrol about 5 a.m., July 26, 2018, noticed a car parked on a gravel access road that seemed out of place near Four Seasons Boulevard and Sullivan Lake Road, said Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli.
Kenneth Martell, 36, who was wanted in connection to a murder that happened three days earlier, rolled down his window and said he was resting during his journey “heading west” from Pennsylvania, Lake County State’s Attorney Michael G. Nerheim said in a statement.
Martell gave a fake name and handed the officer a piece of paper to distract him as he pulled out a handgun, Nerheim said.
Martell pointed the gun at the officer and pulled the trigger, but it did not fire, Nerheim said. They then struggled for the gun.
A backup officer approached and saw Martell raise his hands, clutching a revolver, Nerheim said. The officer commanded the man to “drop it” before firing a single shot at his face, Nerheim said.
Martell was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to the face, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Toxicology results ruled he had amphetamines, methamphetamines and marijuana in his body when he died.
The video was obtained by FOIA request from the Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
