ZION, Ill.

Teen killed by police was shot twice in the back

An autopsy has revealed that a teenager killed by a police officer in Illinois over the weekend was shot twice in the back, authorities said Monday.

Justus Howell was shot by Zion police on Saturday afternoon. Police say officers responding to a call about an altercation began chasing a male when he ran from the scene. They say that after the teen was shot, officers recovered a handgun.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office said in a statement Monday that one bullet struck the 17-year-old in the left back and penetrated his heart, spleen and liver. Another bullet struck him on the right side of his back. Tests to determine whether drugs were in the victim’s system are pending.

TOLEDO, Ohio

Marine seeks forgiveness for starting mosque fire

A former Marine who was sentenced two years ago for starting a fire that caused over $1 million in damages to an Ohio mosque has sent a letter apologizing and asking forgiveness from its members.

Randy Linn, now in a California federal prison where he’s two years of his 20-year sentence, said he can’t believe that he tried to destroy a place of worship.

Federal prosecutors said Linn drove about two hours from his home in St. Joe, Indiana, to suburban Toledo on Sept. 30, 2012, and broke into the mosque where he poured gasoline on a prayer rug and lit it on fire. Linn had several firearms in his car and carried a gun into the mosque, which was empty at the time.

Linn later said while pleading guilty to hate crime charges that he’d become enraged after seeing images of wounded soldiers in the news and decided to burn the mosque. He also blamed what happened on a day of heavy drinking.

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J.

Prosecutors say elderly man killed his wife with an ax

Prosecutors say a 100-year-old man apparently killed his wife with an ax as she slept in their home, then killed himself in the bathroom with a knife.

But it’s still not clear what sparked the murder-suicide late Sunday in Elmwood Park.

Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said there was a “history of domestic issues” between Michael Juskin and his 88-year-old wife, Rosalia. But he said a motive for the attack remains under investigation.

ALLENDALE, S.C.

Teenage boy charged with robbing, killing 86-year-old

A 16-year-old boy is the last of four teenagers charged with robbing and beating an 86-year-old man before killing him by tying a plastic bag around his head, authorities said.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said the teen arrested Monday will be tried as an adult for murder.

The teen was 15 years old when he and three other people broke into Willie Johnson’s Allendale home in June 2014, officials said. Three other teens – two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old – were arrested a few weeks after the killing.

— From news service reports

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