Video has been released showing police fatally shooting a woman, who was armed with knives and experiencing a depression episode, in Mundelein as the family calls for the firing of the officer involved.
The video footage of the May 11 shooting of Mary Alice Love, 37, of Mundelein, was released on Monday by the Mundelein Police Department.
A nearly nine-minute “critical incident briefing” video showed parts of body-worn camera footage from officers at the scene, as well as Mundelein Police Chief Jason Seeley narrating the events that unfolded.
“My daughter asked me to call the police so they can kill her,” Love’s grandmother, who was at the house with her granddaughter, told a 911 dispatcher.
The dispatcher assured the woman that help was on the way as she told him she was worried that officers would kill her granddaughter.
[VIDEO: VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED]
Love’s sister, who was not at the scene, also called 911 and told dispatchers she was concerned that Love was home alone with her sister and that the Lake County Crisis Center had been contacted by the family.
Seeley said officers responded around 5:57 p.m. to the home in the 1100 block of Ashbrook Drive in Mundelein for a report of a suicidal female and encountered the grandmother at the front door.
Officers were seen attempting to get her to exit away from the home for her safety but she refused and asked the officers to come inside, the video showed. Love was sitting on the back patio of the house at that time.
Officers reported the woman was armed on the patio and tried to get the grandmother, who was standing at the back door next to officers, away from the door to safety, the video showed.
Two officers attempted to physically guide the grandmother away from the door and she appeared to fall over.
Love got up from a chair on the patio and walked toward the rear sliding glass door while holding knives, Seeley said.
Love began yelling and opened the door, at which time she moved toward the interior of the home where the grandmother and officers were, Seeley said.
An officer in the video drew his service weapon and fired four shots, striking Love, who then dropped the knives as she fell to the ground. The grandmother could be heard saying, “No! No!” after shots were fired.
Officers immediately summoned firefighter/paramedics at 6:11 p.m., who were already staging nearby until the scene was deemed safe, according to fire department radio traffic.
Paramedics transported Love to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where she was pronounced dead.
The Mundelein Police Department said in a statement Monday that they were releasing the body-worn camera footage and 911 audio to provide factual information and additional context regarding the incident while the independent investigation remains ongoing by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
“Today’s release of body-worn camera footage, 9-1-1 audio, and additional information is part of our commitment to transparency and keeping the public informed as the investigation continues,” Seeley said.
Police met with the family prior to the public release of the video and allowed them to watch it first.
“We understand the difficult nature of this incident, particularly for the family, those directly involved, and members of our community. We ask the public to allow investigators the time and space necessary to complete a thorough and independent review of the facts,” Seeley said.
“We regret all loss of life and recognize the profound impact that officer-involved shootings have on families, communities, and the law enforcement agencies involved. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragedy,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Monday after the release of the video.
A coroner’s inquest has not been performed yet and the independent investigation has not been presented to his office, Rinehart said. He said his office would share its conclusion after reviewing the case.
Chicago-based O’Connor Law Firm told Lake and McHenry County Scanner in a statement that they are representing the family of Love.
The law firm sent a letter last week to the Village of Mundelein, including to the police chief and the mayor.
Attorney Kevin W. O’Connor said that Love was inquiring why police officers were pulling her elderly mother to the ground.
“The family and the police body worn camera strongly dispute public statements suggesting that Ms. Love threatened officers with two knives or that she threatened them at all. Such statements are false, misleading, and unsupported by the actual facts surrounding this incident,” he said in the letter.
“The shooting of Mary Alice Love has devastated her family, shocked the community, and raised serious concerns regarding the use of deadly force, the accuracy of information released by the Mundelein Police Department, and the integrity of the investigative process,” O’Connor added.
The letter demanded that the village and police department immediately terminate the police sergeant who shot Love and suspend a female officer who refused to let a family member ride in the ambulance with her mother.
The law firm also demanded that the supervising police officer, who locked down Advocate Condell Medical Center and refused to allow the family to see the victim’s mother, be suspended.
O’Connor also demanded that the body-worn camera footage of the incident, along with dispatch recordings and other evidence, be released to the public. “Transparency is essential to restoring public trust and ensuring that the facts are not obscured by incomplete or inaccurate narratives.”
O’Connor asked the village to retract and correct “false statements” asserting that Love threatened police officers with knives and provide a public apology to the family.
“The family of Mary Alice Love seeks truth, transparency, accountability, and justice. The public has a right to know precisely what occurred on May 11, 2026, and why deadly force was used against Mary Alice Love,” the letter said.
The law firm told the village that if they refuse to take “meaningful action,” the family and its supporters intend to conduct “public advocacy campaigns, petitions, and peaceful public protests and marches.”
The family has since scheduled a protest and march for Love for 5 p.m. on June 18 at the Mundelein Village Hall.
O’Connor said Monday that while the village has complied with its request to release the video, “the Village has failed to address the remaining demands submitted by the family.”
“The family continues to seek transparency, accountability, and meaningful responses to all of the demands presented to Village officials and the Mundelein Police Department,” he said.
A flyer for the event said Love was experiencing a depression episode and her mother sought assistance through a non-emergency call.
The mother was told a mental health professional would come to the home but instead police officers responded in minutes and did not wait for a mental health professional, the flyer said.
“Officers demanded entry into the home. Mary Alice’s mother went toward the sliding glass door to inform her of police presence. As her mother approached the door, one of the police officers dragged her backwards knocking her to the ground,” the flyer said.
The flyer said Love was shot four times by the police sergeant while she was on the outdoor patio after approaching the sliding glass door of the living room to ask why officers were pulling her elderly mother to the ground.
An autopsy performed showed that Love died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force responded to the scene and began conducting an independent investigation into the incident in accordance with protocol and Illinois law.
The Mundelein police officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Seeley said.
Crime scene tape surrounded both sides of Ashbrook Drive, with a slew of police officers and investigators at the scene into the evening on the day of the incident.
Karen Minorini, who lives approximately one block away, told a Lake & McHenry County Scanner reporter at the scene that she heard four gunshots while in her backyard.
“I can tell they were coming from north of me, so I believed they were probably on Ashbrook [Drive], I wasn’t sure,” Minorini said.
“I called 911 and told them I heard gunshots, and then I saw all the police activity after that.”
Minorini saw more emergency crews descending onto Ashbrook Drive immediately upon finishing the 911 call.
“It was a very active scene,” Minorini said.
Minorini said she did not hear or see anything notable before the four gunshots.
“I heard no other gunshots. I heard nobody saying any kind of commands like ‘stop,’ ‘put it down,’ anything like that,” she said.
Minorini added that her small and quiet neighborhood has not seen any activity like this before. She said a lot of the homes in the neighborhood are rented out.
Many residents were also surprised to see the slew of emergency crews in their neighborhood.
The family of Love is also demanding that the village schedule and hold a public community meeting at the next village hall meeting on June 22.