By Megan Jones
The Beacon-News, Aurora, Ill.
AURORA, Ill. — Three people accused of beating an Aurora police officer following a traffic stop last month are now facing attempted first-degree murder charges in connection with the incident, police and Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office officials said Wednesday.
Jennifer Taylor, 24, of Chicago, Sheba Taylor, 26, of Chicago, and Paul Sherrod Taylor, 28, of DeKalb, were charged with multiple felonies last month and then indicted by a Kane County grand jury July 16 on attempted murder charges in connection with the case.
The three are out on bond and are due back in court for arraignment on Sept. 24.
“Because of the strangulation and because of the research that we know about how quickly it is for somebody to lose their life as a result of somebody preventing them from being able to breathe, we believe that the proper charge was attempted first-degree murder,” Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said Wednesday of the upgrading of the charges against the three people.
Police released a seven-minute dashcam video Wednesday showing the traffic stop that led to the incident in which the three family members are accused of attacking a police officer just after 10:30 p.m. June 21 near Plum Street and Randall Road in Aurora.
The video shows the officer pulling over a car that ran a stop sign and the driver pulling into a driveway in the 600 block of North Elmwood Drive, according to police.
The people in the vehicle began yelling obscenities at the officer after he asked for their license and registration, police said. The officer then asked the people in the vehicle to remain in the car.
A female passenger is seen exiting the car in the video and the officer orders her back into the car several times before informing her she was under arrest for obstructing, police said.
The male driver also exited the car and threatened to fight the officer, police said.
The officer told the driver he was also under arrest for obstructing and the driver took off running, according to police. The officer’s dashcam video does not show the officer running and the subsequent injuries he received, but police said the officer’s testimony and injuries sustained on his neck will be used as evidence in the case.
Aurora police said the officer was repeatedly struck in the head and body during the incident and then a female passenger applied force to the officer’s neck to the point where the officer lost consciousness.
“It was a choice to disobey the police officers and when they continue to fight with the officer, resist being placed into arrest and to place the officer in the position of not being able to breathe, that was attempted first-degree murder,” Mosser said.
Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said the officer was taken to the hospital and treated and is back at work.
While portions of the incident were recorded by police dashcam video, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said there are a few officers who are already wearing bodycams and the city expects many officers to be outfitted with the body cameras by the end of the summer.
(c)2021 The Beacon-News (Aurora, Ill.)