(ZION) The man shot and killed by police Wednesday morning near a school in Zion has been identified as a 38-year-old resident of the far northern suburb.
Zion police responded to a 911 call about a suspicious person taking photographs outside Lakeview Elementary School at 22nd Street and Bethesda Boulevard about 8 a.m., according to a statement from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
An officer began chasing the suspect, who appeared to be wearing body armor, police said. A struggle ensued between the suspect and two officers, and the suspect was shot.
Lake County Sheriff’s Det. Christopher Covelli said the man was wearing a “homemade tactical vest” with metal reinforcements. He was carrying what “appeared to be a handgun” but was “probably an Airsoft gun.”
Charles J. Hollstein, 38, of the 2900 block of Willow Lane in Zion, was taken to Vista East Hospital in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
The community is safe and there are no other suspects at-large, according to Zion Police Chief Steve Dumyahn.
The last police-involved shooting in Zion was April 4, 2015, when 17-year-old Justus Howell of Waukegan was shot twice in the back while fleeing officers about 2 p.m.
The shooting sparked marches and protests in the community after Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd ruled the death a homicide. However, in May of that year, Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim ruled the shooting justified.
Zion police requested the Lake County Major Crime Task Force investigate the latest shooting.
Six elementary schools and a middle school in Zion were on lockdown after the shooting, as were all schools in Beach Park School District 3.
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