Friday, Jun. 05, 2009

Alorton man charged with murder in Centreville cop killing

Police: Suspect didn't want to be caught on gun charge

A 22-year-old Alorton man who told police he didn't want to get booked on a gun charge when stopped by Centreville Lt. Greg Jonas early Tuesday was charged Thursday with murder in the shooting death of Jonas.

Lemuel Antwan Houston was being held on $10 million bail.

Madison County Sheriff's Department Maj. John Lakin, a spokesman for the Major Case Squad, would not say where Houston is being held for his safety as well as that of the police officers transporting him.

Houston was charged with killing Jonas about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Jonas was patrolling the Ernest Smith Apartment complex and had gotten out of his car to make contact with Houston and others with him.

Asked what the motive was for the killing, Lakin said, "We learned from the suspect when he was approached by Jonas, he was aware that he had a firearm in his possession and didn't want to catch a gun charge. In light of that, the unfortunate thing happened and Lt. Jonas lost his life."

Lakin said the suspect is well known to law enforcement.

Kalidah Jonas-Carraway, Jonas' daughter, reacting to the arrest and charges, said, "I'm at ease a little, but it won't bring my father back."

Centreville Assistant Police Chief James Mister, was moved to tears as he thanked the Major Case Squad members for their diligence in capturing the suspect.

Lakin said at a news conference Thursday that he could not go into any details pertaining to the case. He said the news that a fellow member of law enforcement had been killed in the line of duty made for a pretty cloudy day. He said he had a tear in his eye.

"It's very sad when a member of law enforcement passes away, but it's even more sad when one is gunned down in the line of duty."

"(Jonas) was out there trying to protect the citizens of Centreville," Lakin said. "My condolences go out to his family and to the police department. That's a close knit bunch of guys. If I stand here and say I didn't have a tear in my eye, I wouldn't be telling the truth."

On Wednesday, Lakin announced that police had developed a lead on a "strong" person of interest, which was Houston, and had picked him up at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

The 30 to 35 members of the Major Case Squad called to work the case responded quickly and were ready to go to work, Lakin said.

He thanked them for their efforts to solve the homicide and bring the person who did it to justice. He also thanked Coroner Rick Stone, the Illinois State Police and their crime lab technicians and anyone else who was involved.

Jonas' murder surprised, stunned and left many Centreville police officers and residents filled with agony.

Jonas was a no-nonsense policeman, but he was willing to work with those who didn't commit felonies. He was loved by the residents and Lakin said police were able to develop numerous leads and ultimately locate Houston because, "We got great support from the citizens in the housing project."

Lakin said a resident heard gunshots and looked out of her window and saw Jonas on the ground. She rushed outside, knelt down next to Jonas and held his hand.

Mister said that it was a resident who jumped inside Jonas' patrol car and got on his police radio and let the dispatcher know Jonas had been shot.

Lakin said the case against Houston was submitted to the St. Clair County state's attorney's office Wednesday for review and charges were issued Thursday.

Mister said it will take a while for Centreville to heal and recover, but he said he Centreville will heal.

Centreville Police Chief Larry Wynn said he and Jonas go back to the 1970s when Jonas was an Alorton police officer. Wynn said it certainly was a shock that an officer who had a great relationship with the residents of Centreville would lose his life in the line of duty.

Wynn said Jonas and another officer were in the area.

Asked about whether backup should be in place before an officer exits his vehicle, Wynn said the rules say that officers must notify the dispatcher when they're exiting their vehicles. He said some changes will be made in the future, but didn't go into detail.

Centreville Mayor Marius "Mark" Jackson thanked to everybody who assisted in the investigation.

"We know Greg is not coming back," Jackson said. "But this kind of support lets the guys know that others really do care."