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Naperville chief says murder knife is type used by cops

David Olaska, the suspect in the weekend slaying of Naperville teacher Shaun Wild, told officers he routinely has carried a knife for several years but never used it, authorities said.

But Naperville Police Chief David Dial said Monday that he doesn't know why any regular citizen would need to be carrying the sleek folding knife with a 5-inch blade used in the killing.

“The knife that we recovered is called an SOG knife, and it's very common in the military and among patrol officers,” Dial said. “We use them to to cut seat belts and things like that to save people.”

Instead, Dial said, it was used in “a utterly senseless act of violence” by a man who didn't even have a speeding ticket on his record.

Wild and his friend Willie Hayes, a senior defensive end on North Central College's football team, didn't know Olaska but found themselves sitting with him at Frankie's Blue Room late Friday night, the chief said, noting that many of the night's events could be seen on the surveillance footage from the bar. Olaska also re-enacted what happened for investigators on Saturday.

“At some point the conversation became animated and both men stood up, but they shook hands,” Dial said. “That's when Wild reached across to touch Hayes, and Olaska pulled the knife and thrusted forward cutting Wild's arm and thrusting into Hayes.”

Dial said the fatal wound, however, was caused when Olaska attempted to leave the bar after the initial stabbings.

“Wild tried to stop Olaska from leaving, and he turned around and stabbed Wild in the chest.”

Dial said there was never a punch thrown or even a shove before Olaska stabbed Wild and a bouncer.

“Usually things escalate but this seems to have just come from nowhere,” Dial said. “I can't explain whether it would have happened someplace else because I can't explain why it happened here.”

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