Man killed by Zion cops was 'likable guy,' had history of mental illness

Jan. 07--The 38-year-old man killed in Wednesday's police-involved shooting in Zion was a likable and polite guy who suffered from mental illness, his father said Thursday.

Charles J. Hollstein, of the 2900 block of Willow Lane in Zion, was wearing a homemade tactical-style vest and carrying an Airsoft BB gun when he was fatally shot after leading police on a chase that ended in a struggle in an alley, according to Zion police and the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

"They have treatment programs and medications and for the most part it works, but sometimes people like my boy don't always use good judgment. And yesterday morning, from what I've been told, is one of those times he didn't use good judgment," Carl Hollstein, 84, of Frankfort, said of his son.

Zion police officers responded to a report that a suspicious person was taking photographs of two schools just after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at 22nd Street and Bethesda Boulevard, police said.

Sheriff's Detective Christopher Covelli said there was a "brief interaction" between Hollstein and Zion police before a chase began but Covelli declined to comment on what was said.

"It appeared the offender was wearing body armor. After the foot pursuit, a struggle with the offender and officers ensued, which resulted in the offender being shot," a statement from the task force read.

Covelli said what police initially believed to be body armor was a homemade tactical-style vest with metal inserts. Officers recovered an Airsoft BB gun from the scene of the shooting, an alley behind the 1800 block of Ezekiel Avenue.

The task force is still looking into why Hollstein was taking photos at the school, carrying the BB gun and wearing the homemade vest, Covelli said.

Officers tried to use a Taser but it did not work because of winter clothing, Covelli said.

Carl Hollstein said he's not sure why his son would have been at the school, or why he was carrying a BB gun.

Charles Hollstein, who went by Charlie, was "a likable guy" who struck people as very polite, Carl Hollstein said. The father said he tried to give his son good advice, but he didn't always listen.

"It probably would have been better if he'd been living at a nursing home, but who thinks something like this will happen?" he said. "You can't read a person's mind."

Charles Hollstein lived at a nursing home that offered treatment when he moved to Lake County around 2007. For the past few years, he'd been living in an apartment through a Lake County program, Carl Hollstein said.

There are no other suspects in the shooting and police searched Charles Hollstein's home early Wednesday evening, Covelli said. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.

According to court records, Hollstein pleaded guilty in March 1999 to attempting to solicit drugs in Cook County and was fined $200.

In Will County in 2004, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of domestic battery and possession of marijuana, according to court records. He was sent to the Department of Mental Health for evaluation and placement.

He also was fined in 2004 after receiving municipal citations for retail theft in Frankfort, court records show.

"He got into some trouble when he was living with me, but it never cost him his life," said Carl Hollstein.

Carl Hollstein said he understands how it happened.

"With all the violence that's been going on in this country, places like Sandy Hook and other schools, police are on edge, communities are on edge, people are on edge, and when everyone's on edge, it's not too good," he said. "The public is the loser. He was and I am."

The two Zion officers involved in the struggle and shooting have not been identified. Both were treated for minor injuries and placed on paid administrative leave until an investigation is completed, according to Zion police.

lzumbach@tribpub.com

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