Mom says son wouldn't have intentionally killed his sister outside Elgin bar
The mother of a Chicago man charged with fatally shooting his sister outside a bar in Elgin is adamant he couldn't have done it intentionally.
Elgin police are asking the public for assistance in finding the man, Shannon Smith, 23, who might be armed and whose known address was on the 6000 block of North Fairfield Avenue in Chicago.
The Kane County state's attorney's office authorized an arrest warrant for Smith on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, police said. He is described as black, 6 feet tall and about 180 pounds.
His sister, Shaprie Smith-Tate, 25, also of Chicago, was pronounced dead at Presence St. Joseph Hospital after the shooting at about 12:20 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of D Hangout Bar and Grill, 550 N. McLean Blvd. She died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to a preliminary autopsy report.
"Her brother did not shoot her in cold blood," said the siblings' mother, Lylah Moore of Chicago. "He was trying to help her."
Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley said police have tried to find Shannon Smith, "but have exhausted all investigative means to locate him."
"We encourage Mr. Smith to contact a law enforcement agency to arrange a peaceful surrender," she said.
Moore said she last talked to her son a couple of days ago and doesn't know where he is.
The family is securing legal representation, Moore said, and she hopes her son will be turning himself in safely to police accompanied by a lawyer. "I just want him to be treated fairly," she said.
Elgin police said detectives learned the shooting stemmed from an argument in the parking lot involving several people. Three women, including Smith-Tate, were taken to local hospitals by emergency responders and an injured man drove himself to the hospital, police said.
Shannon Smith fled in a vehicle later recovered in Chicago with the assistance of Illinois State Police, police said.
Moore said witnesses told her the argument was between Smith-Tate and several other women, and her brother stepped in to help her.
"People were intoxicated and somehow one thing led to another," Moore said. "I don't know exactly what happened."
The family is devastated, Moore said. Smith-Tate had a husband and four young children.
"This is the most horrific experience I've ever experienced during my whole life," she said.
Moore said her son and daughter lived in Elgin when they were younger and were very close as adults. Moore remembered her daughter as a strong and beautiful woman.
"She was my rock. She was a flamboyant, no-nonsense and lovable person," she said. "She cared about everybody."
Shannon Smith had been on parole since late December after a robbery sentence, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections website.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Elgin police at (847) 289-2700. Anyone who comes into contact with him is asked to call 911 immediately and not approach him, because he might be armed, Lalley said.