Trial to begin in bean-bag shooting death

MARKHAM, Ill. (AP) - A Cook County judge will decide if a suburban Chicago police officer who shot and killed a 95-year-old World War II veteran with a bean-bag gun during a 2013 confrontation is guilty of reckless conduct.

The trial of Park Forest Police Officer Craig Taylor is scheduled to start Tuesday in Markham before Judge Luciano Panici.

Prosecutors contend the 43-year-old Taylor acted recklessly when he shot John Wrana in the stomach after Wrana confronted officers with a knife and a cane at the assisted living facility where he lived. Officials of the Forest Park police department have said the officers who responded to the scene acted as they did because they had no choice.

Wrana's family has filed a lawsuit against Taylor and other officers involved and the village of Park Forest.