Tinley Mother, 3 Daughters Were Shot Multiple Times: Medical Examiner

TINLEY PARK, IL — A mother and her three daughters found dead inside their Tinley Park home Sunday were each shot multiple times, the Cook County Medical Examiner said Monday.

Mother Majeda Kassem, 53, and daughters Halema Kassem, 25, Hanan Kassem, 24, and Zahia Kassem, 25, were all fatally shot Sunday in their home in the 7400 block of 173rd Place. All four victims lived at the home, police said. Autopsies completed determined their causes of death to be multiple gunshot wounds.

Police on Monday said they're continuing to investigate the slayings that have shaken the south suburb. Few details were available still Monday, as police and the Mayor of Tinley Park convened for a press conference.

Tinley Park Interim Police Chief Tom Tilton on Monday declined to name the suspect in custody, citing the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation.

"This is a very complex investigation," Tilton said. "So we want to be sure we dot all our i's and cross all our t's, so it's going to be very difficult for us to confirm any specifics for you today, because we don't want to say anything to negatively impact the investigation or impact the charges."

Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz spoke Monday for the first time since the incident.
"Words can't describe how deeply saddened I am at this horrible tragedy," Glotz said. "A mother and her three daughters are gone, murdered in an act of senseless domestic violence. The entire Tinley Park community is heartbroken at the loss of these four innocent women.

"... We grieve alongside the family, friends, and neighbors who loved them. It’s difficult to process a senseless tragedy like this."

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Police received a 911 call at 11:20 a.m. from a man at the scene stating that someone had been shot inside the home, Carr said in a press conference Sunday afternoon. A male suspect was taken into custody at the house, police said Sunday afternoon. A gun was also recovered.

It was not immediately clear if the man taken into custody was the 911 caller, Carr said. Tilton said again on Monday that remains unclear. There is no known record of previous police calls to the home, Tilton confirmed on Monday.

"I want to commend our first responders, who handled this very difficult situation with professionalism and compassion," Glotz said.

Tilton also lauded first responders for their swift response. This was the first crime of this magnitude in Tinley Park since the Lane Bryant killings in 2008, Tilton said.

"They're professionals, they're going to respond professionally, and they did so," Tilton said. "We're extremely proud of our police officers and they way they handled it, the way they responded.

"This is a tragedy, but we can be encouraged in our community by the speed, professionalism, and efficiency our first response community displayed."

Police were unable to provide a timetable of any possible forthcoming charges.

"I don't want to rush any of that," Tilton said. "We expect that we will have a charging decision in the near future, and that's all I will say."