An Iraq War veteran convicted nearly 10 years ago of murdering his wife was shot and killed Tuesday night when he pointed what ended up being a BB gun at a Bridgeview cop who had arrested his girlfriend for shoplifting, authorities said.
Joseph L. Jesk, 32, started arguing with the officer as his girlfriend was taken into custody around 7 p.m. at a Walmart in the 102000 block of South Harlem Avenue in the southwest suburb, according to Bridgeview town spokesman Ray Hanania.
He then jumped into a stolen white van and followed the officer, bumping into the back of the police SUV about a block away, Hanania said. As the officer got out to investigate, Jesk left the van with a gun in his hand and pointed it at the cop.
The officer fired twice and struck Jesk. He was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and was later pronounced dead.
Jesk’s gun turned out to be a BB gun, Hanania said.
The officer was not harmed. The town has released no other details of the shooting, which is being investigated by the Illinois State Police, as is routine.
Records show Jesk lived with his parents in Oak Lawn.
He was on parole for a 2018 drug possession case and had an active bond forfeiture warrant out of Oak Lawn at the time of his death, records show.
Oak Lawn police arrested Jesk, his girlfriend and another man Aug. 15 on retail theft and drug-related charges, court records show.
A criminal complaint alleges that Jesk and his girlfriend lifted more than $700 of items from Home Depot, including three knives, a leaf blower and an impact driver. They also were found in possession of multiple hypodermic needles and a metal spoon with burn marks underneath, indicating it had been used to prepare heroin, police said.
His girlfriend was additionally charged with possession of a controlled substance after police found her with 2.2 grams of suspected heroin in five individual bundles, according to a criminal complaint.
At the time of her arrest, his girlfriend reported being unemployed and living with Jesk at his parents’ home in Oak Lawn, according to court records.
Jesk also reported being unemployed at the time of his August arrest. He had previously worked as a delivery driver for Domino’s, court records show.
Both Jesk and his girlfriend had violated the terms of their bonds in the Oak Lawn case and were wanted on bond forfeiture warrants at the time of last night’s shooting, police said.
His girlfriend appeared in court Wednesday in Bridgeview, where her bond was reinstated, court records show. She’s due back in court on her drug possession charges later this month.
In 2010, a 23-year-old Jesk was charged with first-degree murder after police say he shot his wife, Heather Jesk, in the basement of their Oak Lawn home, about six weeks after he was discharged from the Army, officials said.
A soldier who served with Jesk said at the time that Jesk was having trouble adjusting to life after serving in the Iraq War. He and his wife had two children, a 2-year-old and an 11-month-old.
Jesk eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was paroled after serving about half his sentence, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.
In January 2018, he was arrested for allegedly possessing meth and was sentenced to two years in prison. Jesk was paroled in that case last November.
Jesk had enlisted in the Army in 2007 and underwent special training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma before becoming a cannon crewmember with the 3rd Battalion 16th Field Artillery based in Fort Carson, Colorado, according to Shari Lawrence, an Army spokeswoman.
The unit deployed to Iraq in September 2008, Lawrence said, and returned to Colorado on July 31, 2009.
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
