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Newly released dash cam and body cam footage shows an intense scene where a Lakemoor Police Officer shoots and kills an armed murder suspect in Illinois. Moreover, footage illustrates how quickly a scene can turn potentially deadly for officers during a seemingly routine stop.
The incident began when an officer Brianna Tedesco located a suspicious vehicle parked on a gravel path in the early morning hours last summer, according a Lakemoor Police Department report. After running a check on the name the suspect gave, the female officer retuned to the car, where 36-year-old Kenneth Edwin Martell pulled a gun. According to the report, at this point, Tedesco believed Martell pulled the trigger. Thankfully, the gun did not fire.
Footage shows Tedesco drop the items in her hands, using both hands to push the suspect’s gun down and away from her. During the struggle, Tedesco is heard attempting to call for backup. Meanwhile, Martell grabs hands to prevent the call, pulling her back into the car. It’s then, according to the report, that Tedesco observes Martell reaching for a second gun.
Lakemoor Police Backup Arrives
The report states, and footage supports, that Martell was trying to kill the officer. But Officer Anthony Loiacono appears on the scene, running toward the struggle. Footage shows Loiacono fire a single round into Martell, ending the fight. The suspect died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation concluded Martell had two pistols in the vehicle, a fully-loaded .38-caliber revolver and an unloaded .22-caliber revolver, according to the report.
Martell was wanted as a suspect in connection with a homicide that occurred a week earlier in Pennsylvania, according to a report from Chicago’s WGN9.
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