CAHOKIA, IL (KTVI - FOX2now.com) -
The stepson of a police officer killed in the line of duty is now accused of trying to kill an officer himself. Cahokia police said one of their officers was lucky to be alive after the suspect pulled the trigger at point-blank range. The officer not only survived, he even managed to catch the suspect, Antonio McNamee, 26, of Cahokia, Illinois.
Just six months ago, his family mourned the tragic loss of Centreville Police Lieutenant Gregory Jonas, who was shot and killed while patrolling a parking lot outside a housing complex. Murder suspect Lemuel Houston is in the St. Clair County Jail awaiting trial. Now McNamee is in the same jail charged with attempted murder with bail set at $1,000,000.
Jessica McNamee, the same woman who eulogized her father at his funeral in June, called Cahokia police to her home on East Adams Friday morning. There was trouble with her brother.
"A female said her brother was creating a problem," said Lt. James Jones of the Cahokia Police Department. "However he'd just left the building and she wanted us to come and speak with him."
Jones said McNamee pulled a gun on the responding officer as she was using her police radio, "At that time she answered her radio, which is right here on her shoulder. As she's talking on the radio, the next thing she knew she heard, 'click', then she looked up and she heard another 'click', at which time the subject was pointing the gun directly at her, at approximately less than 5 feet."
Jones said the gun misfired and McNamee ran across two yards, then hid in a neighbor's shed. He said the officer responded heroically, chasing McNamee down and holding him until help arrived, "She called him out at gunpoint. He complied and remained on the ground until backup officers arrived and he was taken into custody. The officer's very, very, lucky, that she's still here today."
McNamee's sister, Jessica, says her brother had a mental illness and was still distraught over his stepfather's death, "He's still shaken up. He started acting up with his mother. He was yelling, getting in her face." She said he did not try to shoot the police officer, "He wasn't threatening anybody."
Police said there was no doubt he tried to kill the officer. Investigators recovered his .22 calibre handgun and sent it to a lab for testing to show that it had, indeed, been fired. "To have this happen with someone who's involved in a law enforcement family, it's very disturbing," Jones said. "We're just hoping every day that we can be able to go home safely to our families." Jones said Antonio McNamee ought to know that as much as anyone.
Police said McNamee did not say what his motive for pulling a gun on the officer might have been.
Just six months ago, his family mourned the tragic loss of Centreville Police Lieutenant Gregory Jonas, who was shot and killed while patrolling a parking lot outside a housing complex. Murder suspect Lemuel Houston is in the St. Clair County Jail awaiting trial. Now McNamee is in the same jail charged with attempted murder with bail set at $1,000,000.
Jessica McNamee, the same woman who eulogized her father at his funeral in June, called Cahokia police to her home on East Adams Friday morning. There was trouble with her brother.
"A female said her brother was creating a problem," said Lt. James Jones of the Cahokia Police Department. "However he'd just left the building and she wanted us to come and speak with him."
Jones said McNamee pulled a gun on the responding officer as she was using her police radio, "At that time she answered her radio, which is right here on her shoulder. As she's talking on the radio, the next thing she knew she heard, 'click', then she looked up and she heard another 'click', at which time the subject was pointing the gun directly at her, at approximately less than 5 feet."
Jones said the gun misfired and McNamee ran across two yards, then hid in a neighbor's shed. He said the officer responded heroically, chasing McNamee down and holding him until help arrived, "She called him out at gunpoint. He complied and remained on the ground until backup officers arrived and he was taken into custody. The officer's very, very, lucky, that she's still here today."
McNamee's sister, Jessica, says her brother had a mental illness and was still distraught over his stepfather's death, "He's still shaken up. He started acting up with his mother. He was yelling, getting in her face." She said he did not try to shoot the police officer, "He wasn't threatening anybody."
Police said there was no doubt he tried to kill the officer. Investigators recovered his .22 calibre handgun and sent it to a lab for testing to show that it had, indeed, been fired. "To have this happen with someone who's involved in a law enforcement family, it's very disturbing," Jones said. "We're just hoping every day that we can be able to go home safely to our families." Jones said Antonio McNamee ought to know that as much as anyone.
Police said McNamee did not say what his motive for pulling a gun on the officer might have been.
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