Off-duty cop justified in killing 2

[PARAGON]

Off-duty cop justified in killing 2, police say

By David Heinzmann and Jeff Coen, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters Steve Mills and Gerry Doyle contributed to this report
Published April 8, 2006


An off-duty Chicago police officer shot and killed two men who aimed guns at him early Friday, shortly after the officer had helped throw one of the men out of a bar, according to law enforcement officials.

Police officials said the officer was justified in shooting the two men after they pulled up to his black Hummer at a Northwest Side intersection and both pointed handguns at him. But police are still investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

Kenneth Elrod, 31, of the 5400 block of West Carmen Avenue, was drinking at the bar near Belmont and Central Avenues early Friday when the staff asked him to leave at closing time, law enforcement sources said. The off-duty officer, a seven-year veteran assigned to the Albany Park District tactical unit, was a patron in the bar and helped the staff get Elrod to leave, a source said.

Elrod's wife later told detectives her husband called home and told her he was coming to retrieve a gun because someone at the bar had made him angry, sources said.

At 2:30 a.m., the officer was driving eastbound on Belmont Avenue, when he stopped at Kilpatrick Avenue. Elrod's white Ford Ranger pulled up next to the Hummer and two men in the pickup aimed guns at the officer, Bond said.

The officer pulled his gun and opened fire, hitting Elrod and the passenger in the truck, Demetri Centera, 31, of the 4700 block of North Kenneth Avenue. Both men died at the scene. Elrod stumbled out of the pickup and collapsed on the pavement, police said. Neither man in the pickup fired a shot, police said.

Police said they recovered two handguns, a .38-caliber revolver and a .25-caliber semiautomatic, from the cab of the truck.

In public statements Friday, police officials did not mention that the officer and Elrod had been at the same bar and had an altercation prior to the shooting. That information was confirmed Friday by law enforcement sources.

Police did not administer any kind of sobriety test to the officer, who did not appear to be intoxicated, Bond said.

Following standard procedure after a shooting by an officer, police convened a "roundtable" of law enforcement officials to review the incident. The panel cleared the officer of any wrongdoing in the deaths later Friday morning.

Police have not referred the shooting to the Cook County state's attorney's office to determine whether charges against the officer are warranted, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the office.

Several details were still unclear, sources said. Centera was not believed to have been in the bar, and police were investigating when he joined Elrod.

Carlo Centera, Demetri's brother, said Elrod came to their home in the 4700 block of North Kenneth Avenue early Friday and had blood on his clothes that he said was the result of a fight at the bar. He changed his clothes and headed off with Demetri Centera, the brother said. Carlo Centera said his brother did not own a gun.

Police also were canvassing the area around the shooting looking for witnesses and any security cameras that may have recorded the shooting, Bond said.

Police would not disclose the details of the officer's account, including whether any words were exchanged before the shots were fired.

The officer, who was hired in 2000, was off-duty and had not worked on Thursday, Bond said. She added that the officer is in "good standing" with the department and would take a few days off, which is the usual practice after a shooting.

Police said both dead men were known members of the Latin Eagles gang and one had extensive gang tattoos. Both had numerous arrests, and Elrod had a 1994 felony conviction for drug dealing. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison.

Centera also had a 1994 drug conviction, for which he received a year of probation.

Though police described the two men as criminals and gang members, Elrod's family said he was a loving father of two small children who worked as a plumber.

If Elrod was affiliated with a gang, "it was way, way before, before we even knew him," said Linda Morales, whose sister Maria married Elrod four years ago.

The couple are parents of a 2-year-old girl and a 4-month-old boy, Morales said.

Elrod was a loving father, who worked hard to support his family, she said.

"He was a very hard worker," she said. "He was a provider and the mortgage payer."

Elrod's widow was distraught over how she would care for their children without her husband, Morales said. Maria Elrod was questioned by detectives at the Grand Central Area headquarters from about 10 a.m. until late Friday afternoon, Morales said.

[PARAGON]

Off-duty cop claims self-defense in killings
April 8, 2006

BY FRANK MAIN AND MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporters

An off-duty Chicago Police officer who fatally shot two men early Friday had intervened in an earlier bar argument involving at least one of them, sources said.

Edward P. Yerke, a 36-year-old Albany Park District tactical officer, killed Kenneth Elrod, 31, of the 5400 block of West Waveland and Demetri Centera, 31, of the 4700 block of North Kenneth, authorities said.

Yerke stepped in to break up an altercation involving Elrod at Magic Touch Club, 5728 W. Belmont. Elrod told Yerke he would "be back" and went to pick up Centera, police sources said.

About 2:30 a.m., they pulled up to Yerke's 2003 Hummer at a stoplight at Belmont and Kilpatrick and allegedly pointed guns at Yerke. They may have been seeking payback for the earlier incident, sources said.

Yerke, a seven-year veteran, told investigators he shot the men because he feared for his life. Investigators found he followed state and department guidelines for the use of deadly force, police said.

Police: 2 had extensive records



Officers recovered a .38-caliber revolver and a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol from the white Ford pickup truck in which Elrod and Centera were shot, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Police also found extra ammunition on Elrod, sources said.

No one else was in either of the vehicles involved in the shootings, police said.

Elrod and Centera were believed to be members of the Latin Eagles street gang, police said. They had extensive criminal records, she said.

Elrod and Centera were plumbers, according to their families and friends.

Elrod had served at least two stints in prison on burglary and drug convictions in the 1990s in DuPage and Cook counties, court records show.

"The family is pretty devastated," said a sister-in-law, Linda Morales. "He drank at bars, but that does not make him a criminal."

Elrod's gang affiliation was in the past, Morales said.

"Since he got married to my sister four years ago, he has been dedicated to the family. He's been a completely different man, hard-working. He loved his job and gave everything possible to his kids. He even told his wife not to work anymore to be with the kids," Morales said.

Elrod had a 4-month-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, Morales said.

"He was so happy with his son. He told me he was going to teach him to be a plumber. To go to college and be a plumber like his dad," Morales said.

She said her brother-in-law and Centera were friends. The white pickup truck belonged to Elrod, she said.

Centera had been arrested at least 26 times for everything from felony marijuana possession to disorderly conduct and trespassing, records show. Still, Annis Abid, a neighbor of Centera, said he could not believe Centera would pull a gun on someone.

"We'd sit out in the summers and barbecue and drink beer," said Abid, adding that he knew Centera about four years. "It's crazy, man. I'd never expect anything like this. Shooting. Killing. He wasn't like that."

[Klaus]

Give the cop a medal! He should now be reassigned to train marksmanship to other officers.

Two for two! No trial and no reports to file!

[DRTYFN]

Originally posted by Klaus:
Give the cop a medal! He should now be reassigned to train marksmanship to other officers.

Two for two! No trial and no reports to file!

2 for 2 and no return fire. Sweet. More worm food.

Problem eliminated.

S.