A wedding celebration in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, took a tragic turn when a man allegedly shot his daughter-in-law over her plans to divorce his son. Local law enforcement responded to a distress call at the Marriott on North Martingale Road around 10:15 p.m. on Friday, where they found a woman with a gunshot wound to her head in the parking lot.
The victim, identified as 45-year-old Christine Moyer of Ohio, was rushed to a nearby hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries. Authorities reported that a bystander had managed to subdue the alleged shooter, 76-year-old Roland Schmidt, until the police arrived. The weapon used in the shooting was also recovered at the scene.
According to investigators, Schmidt and Moyer were both attending a wedding at the hotel. As Moyer was leaving the event, Schmidt allegedly followed her outside and shot her. The motive behind the shooting, as per the police, was Schmidt’s discontent with Moyer’s decision to divorce his son.
Schmidt, a resident of Stillman Valley, located approximately 13 miles southwest of Rockford, is now facing a first-degree murder charge. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Cook County Jail, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday.
Eyewitness accounts added further details to the tragic incident. Flory Sommers, who was entering the hotel with her friends when the shooting occurred, recounted hearing calls of ‘gunshot!’ and seeing people rushing towards the lobby.