Marine shot after pointing weapon at Waukegan cops

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A Waukegan Police squad car drives by the Holiday Inn Express located at 611 Lakehurst Rd. in Waukegan on Thursday where a suspect brandishing a handgun had been shot by a Waukegan officer on Wednesday night. The suspect died from his gunshot wound. The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is leading the investigation. The involved officer was not injured. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: March 18, 2012 8:14AM

WAUKEGAN — An autopsy will be performed today, Feb. 17, on a Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who died after he pointed a laser-sighted handgun at police while holding a hostage.

John D. Corcoran, 33, who served multiple war zone tours, was shot once in the chest as police entered the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites at Fountain Square.

Authorities said Corcoran, who has relatives in Elgin, was honorably discharged as a private first class in 2009 after suffering injuries from an improvised explosive device. Most recently he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, they said.

“This is a tragic end to a brave Marine’s life. He survived the horrors of war and made it home physically, but his most difficult battle raged from within,” said Waukegan Police Chief Dan Greathouse. “I fear this trend will continue if we as a nation don’t recognize and confront PTSD with the same fervor as we would any other enemy.”

It could not be confirmed that Corcoran was being treated at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, because of privacy laws, but he had been living at the hotel at 611 Lakehurst Road for about a week. Authorities said he had threatened suicide in the past.

Police were called to the hotel Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. for an armed suicidal subject. When police arrived they encountered Corcoran in the lobby where he was sitting in a chair and aiming what appeared to be a gun with a laser sighting system at a male hostage lying face down on the floor at his feet, police said.

Police evacuated a female customer from the counter area and approached Corcoran yelling commands and identifying themselves as police officers. When Corcoran directed the weapon at police he was shot once in the chest. The male hostage ran and was uninjured.

Police later learned the gun was a replica pellet gun fitted with an authentic laser sighting system.

“I commend the officers for making a difficult, yet necessary choice of neutralizing this threat,” Greathouse said. “Our officers are trained to protect the lives of others at any cost, and they were true heroes that night.

“My heart goes out to the family of Mr. Corcoran, who has shown great concern for the involved officers and the department as a whole,” Greathouse added.

But a longtime friend, who did not want to be named, said Corcoran was dealing with his disorder and was never suicidal. He had volunteered at a Chicago area VA office, helping soldiers transition into their lives back home, she said.

She said Corcoran was a respectful person who was working to get his life back in order after getting back home. He just got a job, was going to school and had just started dating again. He was finding all of his old friends, reconnecting with them and always called or texted whenever he needed to talk.

He was driven, had a lot going for him and had no death wish, the woman said. She did not believe Corcoran would have pointed a gun at officers and believes he may have just been goofing around with the pellet gun at a hotel that he often frequented with friends. Corcoran served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in 2009 after being wounded by an IED and most recently, he was suffering from PTSD.

Corcoran graduated basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, in 2000 and his father James F. Corcoran lived in Elgin at that time. Corcoran was a 1999 graduate of Mauston High School in Mauston, Wis.