Morris, Illinois — On September 29, 2023, Morris police received a 911 call from counselors who worked with 40-year-old Alivia Schwab, after being informed she was threatening herself with a knife. The officers found Schwab in the doorway of her first-floor apartment, on her cellphone talking to the counselors in her right hand and with a knife pointed to the ground in her left.
As Schwab slowly walked out of her apartment, Officer Nick Pampinella told Officer Casie Price to use a Taser on her. However, Officer Price never discharged it or removed it from its holster as Schwab walked past her. Two seconds later, Officer Pampinella who instructed Officer Price to use a taser pulled a gun and shot Schwab three times, including once to the left eye. After Schwab was shot and killed, the officers handcuffed her in the parking lot.
The two officers involved were not charged and the use of deadly force was deemed justifiable by the Grundy County State’s Attorney’s Office. The teenage children of Schwab have filed a federal lawsuit against Morris Police. The lawsuit documents claim that Schwab had a history of mental illness and was "in the process of transitioning from a residential facility into her own apartment" when the shooting occurred.