Brothers Slain In Sunday Night Shooting

BRAIDWOOD, IL — Two brothers were slain Sunday night in a shooting at the Braidwood home where one of them lived, police said.

Braidwood Police Chief Nick Ficarello declined to confirm whether Joseph Burgess, 35, and his brother James Benson, 25, died in a murder suicide, but he did say there is no concern for public safety in the wake of the slayings.

"Obviously there’s no threat to the community,” Ficarello said. “It’s an isolated incident.”

Officers were reportedly called to Benson's Parkview Lane home about 9:15 p.m. to investigate a report of shots fired. They found the two brothers dead, each shot one time, police said. The officers also reportedly located a .357 revolver and spent cartridges.

Burgess reportedly lived in Bourbonnais.

Benson and Burgess' mother was home at the time but did not witness the shooting, police said. Another woman did see the killings, according to police, and what led up to them.

“It appears there was a quarrel which turned violent,” Ficarello said.

The killings remain under investigation.

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