Schaumburg woman who fired at cops thanks them for not killing her
A Schaumburg woman wounded in a 2015 standoff with police thanked the officers Friday for not ending her life.
"I want to thank the police for saving my life," said Tamekka Broyles, 32, adding, "I was in a really bad place."
Initially charged with attempted murder, Broyles pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault. In exchange for her guilty plea, she was sentenced to five years in prison. Broyles must complete at least 85 percent of the sentence before she is eligible for parole.
The shots Broyles fired did not strike any officers during the 4½-hour standoff that unfolded Aug. 1, 2015, on the 1700 block of Maple Place.
Prosecutors say Broyles - an all-state, high school basketball star recruited by Division 1 universities - became upset after her estranged wife phoned her at work and told her she wanted to end their marriage.
Broyles left work, purchased a bottle of whiskey and returned to the second-floor apartment they shared, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Denise Loiterstein said.
Broyles retrieved a handgun from a bedroom safe, loaded it and began drinking, police said. At some point, she dialed 911 and told the dispatcher she had a weapon and intended to kill herself.
Schaumburg police arrived and entered the apartment, where they found Broyles sitting on the living room floor with the gun pointed under her chin, Loiterstein said.
After Broyles pointed the weapon at the officers and asked if they would return fire if she shot at them, they responded that they did not want to shoot her and left the apartment, Loiterstein said.
Officers from the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System arrived and instructed Broyles to remain calm and surrender her weapon, Loiterstein said. At one point, she fired out of the apartment, shattering the sliding glass doors, but no one was injured and police did not return fire, Loiterstein said.
NIPAS officers then took up positions in the stairwell outside Broyles' unit and remained there for several hours while negotiators spoke with her on the phone. Shortly before midnight, prosecutors say, Broyles opened the apartment door and pointed her gun at two NIPAS officers stationed in the hall.
One of the officers fired, striking Broyles in the elbow and shoulder. A second officer fired a beanbag rifle, striking Broyles in the leg, Loiterstein said.
According to Loiterstein, substantial mitigation evidence and extensive discussions with police and defense attorneys contributed to the state's plea offer.
Cook County Judge Marc Martin commended the officers and lectured Broyles.
"Miss Broyles, what you did was a serious mistake in judgment with your life and the lives of others on the line. Suicide by police is not a solution," Martin said.
Broyles' older brother, Calvin Broyles, praised the police and attorneys.
"The police handled the situation the best they could," he said, thanking officers, prosecutors and his sister's attorney, Cook County assistant public defender Daniel Naranjo.
"The police went out of their way to help her," said Naranjo, who attributed his client's behavior to depression and bad judgment. "It was clear from the record Tamekka had no intention of hurting anyone from the police department."
"She's a good person with a good heart. She wouldn't harm anybody," said Broyles' mother, Julie Frazier, a Michigan resident who attended every hearing with her husband, Melvin Frazier, Broyles' stepfather.
"We're blessed and we're thankful she's still here," said Melvin Frazier, acknowledging the situation could have turned deadly. "She will bounce back. She will move on and make the most of the rest of her life."