A 95-year-old man living in an assisted living community in Park Forest, Illinois started a confrontation with ambulance personnel trying to transport him for medical treatment Friday, forcing the police to get involved and end up killing the man while trying to control him.
John Warna was living at Victory Centre of Park Forest, a supportive living center for senior citizens. He was threatening the home’s staff and paramedics with a metal cane and two-foot metal shoehorn.
According to WLSAM when police arrived at the scene and demanded he drop the dangerous items, he did not listen and instead took out a 12-inch butcher knife.
Police resorted to shocking Warna with a Taser, who still did not drop the knife or stop making threats, so they fired bean bag rounds at him. Warna finally surrendered and was conscious and speaking as he was transported to St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Chicago, where he later died at 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
Chicago Tribune reports the Cook County medical examiner’s office said the cause of death was bleeding in the stomach from blunt force trauma to that area after being shot with the bean bag gun.
The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit is still investigating the event.