Your family of the clerk who was simply fatally shot Monday at a Waukegan payday-loan shop made its very first general public statement regarding the killing Wednesday, recalling the lady as a passionate employee having a future that is bright.
But blended with the rips associated with target’s mom and sibling ended up being anger — during the guy whom killed Melinda Morrell, 22, of Round Lake Park within an robbery that is apparent at her company, whom they stated did not do sufficient to protect her.
“I’m asking all Illinois companies to look at their protection systems,” stated Nancy Horst, Morrell’s older sibling, at a news seminar. “Whenever you can do more for the workers, take action. Do not spend less — it costs life.”
Waukegan authorities while the Lake County significant Crimes Task Force are trying to find leads when you look at the shooting, that they think happened sometime before 5 p.m. Monday during the Check ‘n Go store when you look at the 1100 block of North Green Bay path.
Morrell, a shop supervisor, ended up being shot as soon as when you look at the relative straight back for the mind and discovered by a client, who called 911, authorities stated. A man they believe is in his late teens or early 20s, 5 foot 8 to 5 foot 10 and 170 to 200 pounds on Wednesday, police released a sketch of a suspect. He had been final seen using a cap that is red a doo-rag underneath, a red-collared top and blue-jeans shorts. He wore a diamond stud in the remaining ear.
Family unit members stated they have retained an attorney and want to register case against Check ‘n Go, contending that the security measures at the Waukegan store were lacking thursday.
“We already know just from statements produced by the boss that there clearly was no glass that is bulletproof this kind of center, while they did have bulletproof glass in other facilities,” stated Kathleen Zellner, your family’s lawyer.
Zellner, an Oak Brook lawyer who’s got represented high-profile consumers in instances in DuPage County in the last few years, additionally represents your family of Mary Hutchison, the supervisor of the Lindenhurst Burger King who had been killed in a robbery at the restaurant in November.
James Ealy, a former worker, had been faced with murdering her. Hutchison’s spouse, Ken, is at Zellner’s workplaces with Morrell’s family wednesday. He’s got sued the franchising business that owned the Burger King for wrongful death.
Zellner stated she hadn’t found out about the Waukegan killing before she had been contacted by Morrell’s household. She stated Morrell’s household possessed a relationship utilizing the Hutchisons and got her contact number from their website.
Apart from lack of bulletproof cup in the Waukegan shop, Horst, Morrell’s sibling, talked about other safety conditions that the household’s attorney designed to investigate.
“[Morrell] ended up being here by herself; perhaps if there was clearly another employee there? Had been the security camera systems working? Ended up being here an security?” she stated. “Was she taught the way in which she needs to have been trained?”
Reached at Check ‘n Go business headquarters in Ohio Tuesday afternoon, business spokesman John Rabenold acknowledged that the Waukegan shop does not have bulletproof cup and it is a lot more of an available, banklike area.
“We do possess some bulletproof glass at some areas, but it is few,” he stated, adding that the choice to install the cup is usually predicated 
on criminal activity levels in the region round the shop. “I became told it was a actually nice element of city. There have been no dilemmas, to ensure that did not warrant bulletproof glass.”
In the news seminar Wednesday, Horst and Morrell’s mom, Sheryl, broke straight down times that are several they mentioned Morrell, called Mindy to friends and family.
Sheryl Morrell called her child a person that is”wonderful whom adored kiddies.