Danville Businessman Murder Suspect Found Shot In Head Near Chicago
(KPIX 5) -- A man wanted for the murder of a prominent Danville businessman is in critical condition after shooting himself in the head Wednesday as police closed in on him at a home outside of Chicago.
Mark Sypien, 51, was wanted for the shooting death of 76-year-old John Moore last Sunday near the Iron Horse Regional Trail in Danville. Court documents show Sypien had been terrorizing the Moore family for years.
Kane County, Ill. Sheriff Ron Hain said police and sheriff's deputies had been canvassing Sypien's parents' neighborhood in unincorporated St. Charles Township, about 45 miles west of Chicago.
Investigators in Illinois believe Sypien had been in town for just a short time, when a neighbor recognized the suspect's silver Ford escape pulling into his parent's driveway on Wednesday and called 9-1-1.
As police arrived at the home officers heard a single gunshot and found Sypien on the front lawn suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital with potential life-threatening injuries.
"As the first patrol vehicle stopped at the end of his street waiting for cars to assist him, we believe Mr. Sypien heard all the incoming sirens, saw the squad car and decided to step out of his vehicle into his parents' front lawn, and shot himself in the head," said Hain.
Moore was a longtime member of the Danville Rotary Club and owned the cluster of buildings at the end of Fostoria Way in Danville at the site where his body was found.
Sypien was identified Monday as a suspect in Moore's murder. According to court documents, Sypien had dated Moore's daughter, but became increasingly violent and unpredictable. In 2014, a judge issued a restraining order against Sypien that was active up to the day of Moore's murder.
Back in May 2016, Sypien sent an email to Moore with the subject line: "You _____ the wrong guy!!"
"I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with you very soon," the email said. "You honestly can't think I was going to let you destroy every aspect of my life and get away with it ... I'll be in touch."
Hain said there were no other persons injured Wednesday's incident and credited the detailed description of the suspect's car from Danville police with helping close in on Sypien.
"I would hazard a guess that he's been on the road for the most part, and this is our first sighting of him, or any reports of him being in the area," said Hain.