Video After The Jump
(Patch.com) LAKE COUNTY, IL -- The Lake County Sheriff's Office released the body cam and dash cam videos from a fatal officer-involved shooting that happened in Lakemoor in July. The video shows how Lakemoor Police Department Officer Briana Tedesco, a one-year police veteran, acted quickly when a 38-year-old murder suspect pointed a gun at her, holding the gun down and away from herself and preventing him from shooting her. The videos also show Lakemoor Officer Anthony Loiacano arriving at the scene and running toward Tedesco as the armed man, Kenneth E. Martell, of Meadville, Penn., appeared to try to pull her into his vehicle.
Loiacano aimed his gun at Martell as Tedesco backed away. Loiacano then fired his weapon, fatally shooting Martell.
The Lake County State's Attorney's Office determined Loiacano acted "reasonably and appropriately" when he quickly came to Tedesco's aid at about 5 a.m. on July 27, 2018.
Martell provided Tedesco with a fake name. After checking and finding no record of him, she asked him for any document that would identify him, according to the state's attorney's news release. It was still dark out and Tedesco has a flashlight with and her bodycam footage shows as Martell hands the officer a piece of paper. As she is looking at it, he pulls a gun on her. He then reaches out the window, pointing the handgun directly at her.
In the state's attorney's investigative findings, Tedesco told authorities she believes at one point, Martell pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire. She immediately pulled the gun with her right hand and pushed it away from her. She then dropped the items in her other hand and used both of her hands to push the gun down and back into the driver's vehicle, according to the officer's account.
As she struggled for Martell's gun, she attempted to call on her radio but Martell grabbed her hand to prevent her from calling for help. He then pulled her back toward the car. Tedesco she then saw Martell reaching for a second gun.
At this point, Tedesco was "in fear for her life and believed Martell was about to kill her," according to the investigative findings. Loiacono, a 14-year-old veteran of the department, showed up at the scene as Tedesco's backup and heard the female officer screaming.
He also saw her struggling and said it looked like the driver was trying to pull Tedesco into the car through the driver's window. Tedesco was able to step away from the vehicle at that moment and Martell raised both of his arms. He had a revolver in each hand, Loiacono said in his statement to the state's attorney's office.
Loiacono told Martell to drop his weapons and then pointed his gun at Martell before firing one round at Martell's face. The video footage from Tedesco's patrol car shows Martell's body slump back in the driver's seat.
The officers checked on Martell and "could see that no life-saving efforts could be attempted to save his life," according to the state's attorney's office.
The local officers involved in the fatal shooting learned shortly after the shooting that the man who'd been killed was wanted for stabbing to death an 88-year-old Pennsylvania man just days earlier.
Officers responding to the scene of the officer-involved shooting found two handguns. During a search of a wooded area near the shooting site, authorities also found a large number of weapons including rifles, shotguns, crossbows and ammunition, according to the news release.
They also found court documents, bail bond documentation, and a criminal summons all in the name of Kenneth Martell. The stolen property and identification cards of elderly murder victim Theodore Garver were also found, authorities said.
Authorities said Martell tied, robbed, beat and fatally stabbed 88-year-old Garver in his Beaver Township home in Pennsylvania. After the murder, Martell is accused of abducting other individuals at gunpoint and forcing them to aid Martell in the disposal of Garver's body. Martell eventually dumped the body in a lake near Garver's home.
Toxicology results from Martell revealed he had methamphetamine, amphetamine and marijuana in his system.
Family members later told police Martell abused illegal drugs, including methamphetamine. Martell had made statements to friends and family that "cops were going to kill him over a drug bust" and that he was "not going down without a fight," according to the state's attorney's investigation into the shooting.
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