Murder-suicide leaves two men dead in Palatine

Bradley Morrison was his family’s protector and a hero to his younger brother.

The idea that the 21-year-old Arlington Heights man was gunned down by his girlfriend’s father Sunday night as the two argued over a dog has those closest to him in disbelief.

“What kind of coward puts a bullet into the back of someone and then does himself in?” said Steven Morrison, 20, a College of DuPage student. “Brad was the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole life.”

Palatine police say that’s the scene that unfolded outside the home of 49-year-old Edward Kuemper, who turned the gun on himself about 8:30 p.m. after shooting Morrison as he attempted to leave with Kuemper’s estranged wife and daughter.

The three had gone to Kuemper’s home on the 1500 block of East Reynolds Drive in Palatine to retrieve the family dog.

Kuemper and his wife had been having marital problems for some time, and she was residing outside the home with her daughter and Morrison at a house on the 4000 block of Bonhill Drive in Arlington Heights, police said.

When Kuemper refused to give up the pet, the argument escalated, police said.

The estranged wife and daughter told police Kuemper and Morrison, who didn’t get along, got into an argument.

When Morrison tried to leave, Kuemper took his .40-caliber handgun and shot Morrison twice and then himself. Morrison was found dead on the front porch, Kuemper on the front lawn.

A handgun was located at the scene.

Steven Morrison, who believes there has to be more to the story than an argument over a dog, said his older brother will be remembered for protecting those around him.

“He never let me get beat up and protected us from people while we lived in a horrible neighborhood in Chicago,” he said. “If Brad could do something to stop someone from being hurt, he would do it no matter what.”

A neighbor called police after witnessing the domestic disturbance unfold.

Amy Waldmann, another neighbor who lives across the street and a couple of doors down, was home and heard three loud bangs. She didn’t realize the commotion was a murder-suicide until police knocked on her door.

She and her husband, Robert, socialized with the Kuempers at neighborhood and church functions.

The Kuempers’ daughter, an only child, attended St. Thomas of Villanova School in Palatine as the Waldmann children did. She’s now at Palatine High School.

Waldmann said Kuemper was a hunter and kept guns in the house.

“The whole block is in shock because they’re the nicest people,” said Waldmann, who didn’t realize there were marital problems because she hadn’t seen much of the Kuempers this winter. “I thought Ed was a stable guy. Just a solid, standard working man.”

Waldmann said Kuemper’s wife, Christine, called her at midnight after the shooting wondering if they had seen the dog, which had apparently run away in the commotion. She believed it was a gift to the daughter from Morrison, who friends say worked at a local pizza place.

Deputy Police Chief Al Stoeckel said the investigation continues, but police are confident they’re dealing with a murder-suicide.

“There’s no reason residents or citizens should be concerned with their safety,” Stoeckel said. “This is a very unfortunate situation that happened.”