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A 16-year-old Morris boy was charged with six counts of first-degree murder after shooting a Shorewood woman twice in the back of the head, Deputy District Attorney Russel Baker said.

Cortez Rice is accused of shooting Beverly A. Lambert, 25, of Shorewood Thursday afternoon as she was picking up her 22-month-old baby from kindergarten.

Grundy County Coroner John Callahan said Lambert was taken to Morris Hospital and pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m.

Baker said that Rice was looking to go to Walmart on Thursday afternoon. She knocked on the door of a neighbor who threatened him with her bulldog to get him out of her house.

Lambert came to pick up her son, left his car running to keep it cool, and was shot twice in the back of the head with a 9mm pistol as he walked to the door of the daycare, according to court testimony. .

The nanny locked herself in the house with the children until the police arrived.

Around 4:25 p.m. On Thursday, Morris police were notified of a shooting in the 500 block of Twilight Drive, said Stan Knudson, public information officer for Morris.

The Morris Police Department, along with surrounding law enforcement, were able to locate the suspect using license plate inspection cameras, Knudson said.

Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley advised people to shelter near the 2400 block of Twilight Drive Thursday afternoon due to reports of an active gunman, but the recommendation was rescinded around 7 p.m. .

Rice escaped in Lambert’s vehicle and, using flock camera technology, police were able to arrest him in Joliet, Grundy County District Attorney Jason Helland said.

“Sheriff’s deputies located the suspect last night,” Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Jungles said. “He was driving the vehicle that he stole from the victim. When police tried to arrest him at a traffic stop, he fled on foot. He began a short foot chase that was later stopped.

Incident Detail

“A firearm was found on the path he was walking on. The vehicle and the 16-year-old suspect were returned to Morris.”
Rice, 16, will be tried as an adult and faces up to 40 years in prison. She is being held at the River Valley Detention Center in Joliet. Bail for him was set at $5 million.

Sue Rezin, Vice President of the Illinois Senate, responded to the incident:

“First of all, I would like to send my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the young woman who lost her life in yesterday’s horrific crime. Unfortunately, while Morris is known to be a safe community, crime and violence have increased throughout the state, and sadly, we have seen violence spread to communities like Morris.

“Fortunately, the people of our community are being served by the brave men and women who responded quickly and professionally to yesterday’s incident. However, it is imperative that we do more to help law enforcement across the state address the escalating violence. We must provide them with all the necessary resources, including real consequences, to deter people from committing violent crimes.”