Murder suspect pulled gun on Lakemoor cop after she ran plate on SUV
When a police officer noticed the silver Kia SUV as the sun was coming up over a rural area in Lakemoor Thursday, the vehicle was backed into a gravel road just off Four Seasons Boulevard and without a front license plate.
The officer, who has not been named by police, approached and talked with Kenneth Martell, 36, who had been asleep in the SUV's driver's seat. She then walked to the rear of the vehicle and radioed the license plate number to a dispatcher, authorities said.
When she returned to the driver's-side window, she was staring at the barrel of a handgun, Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Friday.
"She immediately pushed the gun away from her with her hands and struggled with Martell," Covelli said.
Martell pulled out a second gun as another Lakemoor officer arrived on the scene to provide backup. One of the officers fired into the car, hitting Martell in the face, Covelli said.
Martell was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Preliminary autopsy results from the Lake County coroner's office indicate Martell died from injuries sustained by the gunshot wound.
Shortly after Martell was shot, the dispatcher reported over the radio the Kia and the man police had just scuffled with were connected to a homicide in Pennsylvania.
On Friday, Covelli would not say which officer fired the fatal bullet, how many bullets hit Martell, or how many shots in total were fired into the SUV. He would also not release the types of handguns Martell had.
The officers were not injured during the scuffle, Covelli said. The first officer has been a police officer for two years, while the one who came later has been an officer for 13 years, Covelli said.
Covelli said the Kia was registered to a woman in Pennsylvania, not to Martell. The Kia was not reported stolen in Pennsylvania, he said.
"But there was a law enforcement notification attached to the plate in the system that Martell was a wanted subject for homicide in Pennsylvania and may be in the vehicle," Covelli said.
Martell was wanted in connection with the death of 88-year-old Theodore Garver of Beaver Township, who was stabbed during a robbery and his body dumped into a pond, authorities said.
The Meadville Tribune reports Garver's body was recovered about 11 a.m. Tuesday from a pond in northwestern Crawford County.
Investigators say it started as a home invasion by Martell. A criminal complaint in Pennsylvania claims Martell forced his mother, her boyfriend and a third person to help him dump the body in the pond, ABC 7 Chicago has reported.
Pennsylvania police had a warrant issued for Martell on charges of first-degree homicide and terroristic threats. State police say Martell disappeared after the murder.
Police are investigating how Martell got from Pennsylvania to Lakemoor in the Kia.
Lakemoor Police Chief David Godlewski was unavailable for comment Friday. Mayor Ryan "Todd" Weihofen said he was unable to comment on the situation at this time.
Covelli said it's standard protocol for the task force to wait a day before separately interviewing officers involved in a use-of-force situation.
He said the findings of the task force would be turned over to the Lake County state's attorney's office for review.
"It's definitely a traumatic incident for the officer involved," Covelli said. "Especially when the use of force takes the life of someone else."