Chicago, IL: Murder-suicide at Chicago Ridge Mall parking lot

August 11, 2010
BY BOB RAKOW, Correspondent
A Chicago woman was shot to death Tuesday evening in the parking lot of Chicago Ridge Mall by a man, possibly her ex-husband, who then killed himself, police said.
The woman had exited a Pace commuter van about 6 p.m. near the Bank of America branch, 95th Street and Nashville Avenue, when the gunman approached and fired two shots at her from a revolver, Police Chief Rob Pyznarski said.
He said the man, whom he described as a Chicago resident in his late 50s, then sat on the woman and fired two more shots into her body before shooting himself in the head.
Police were not identifying the victim or the gunman, pending notification of family members, Pyznarski said. He would not comment on the relationship between the two, describing it only as a domestic dispute.
The 41-year-old woman saw the man after she got off the bus, expressed fear for her safety from "her ex" and told other passengers to call police, according to police. They said she began walking quickly toward her car when he approached and shot her.
The bodies remained at the scene as of about 9:30 p.m. Investigators cordoned of the area and were still at the scene late Tuesday night.
Four other people were on the van, which takes workers to jobs in the west suburbs, and no one else was wounded, Pyznarski said.