Video: Illinois Officer Faces Charges in Elderly Man's 2013 Death
Cook County prosecutors announced the charges on Wednesday, alleging that the Park Forest police officer was reckless in his use of less-lethal weapons in an attempt to arrest a 95-year-old man.
The Cook County (Ill.) State Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday that a Park Forest police officer is being charged with felony reckless conduct in the death of a 95-year-old man at a senior facility. the officer was allowed to remain free without posting bond Wednesday.
John Wrana, 95, died during a 2013 altercation with police at the Victory Centre Senior Living Facility in the Chicago suburb. Officer Craig Taylor is alleged to have used a stun gun and fired beanbag rounds at the elderly man.
According to WLS-TV Chicago, workers at the senior home called paramedics in July 2013 when Wrana became belligerent. The paramedics called police, who used a stun gun on Wrana. When that didn't work, the officer allegedly shot Wrana, who was sitting in a chair, in the stomach with six beanbag rounds from a shotgun.
"This is a tragic incident. There no question about that but every tragic incident does not translate into a criminal act. From what I know about this case, I don't believe Officer Taylor engaged in any criminal behavior whatsoever," Taylor's attorney Terry Ekl said.
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