Police work on the scene after a shooting at a home in Chicago, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (David Struett/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
| Photo Credit: David Struett

A man suspected in the fatal shootings of three people in central Illinois was shot and killed by police after opening fire on them in suburban Chicago, authorities said Thursday (December 19, 2024).

Officers in Berwyn responded to a report of a man with a gun around 11.30 p.m. Wednesday (December 18, 2024). The man ran away and forced his way into a home where he fatally shot two dogs, police said.

He then ran into a nearby yard where he refused police commands to stop. The man then shot at Berwyn officers and they returned fire, killing him.

The man later was identified as John Lyons, 24, of Westchester, west of Chicago.

Police said he was suspected in the fatal shootings of three people at a home in Mahomet, about 120 miles (190 km) southwest of Chicago. One of the victims, identified Thursday by Champaign County Coroner Laurie Brauer as Sara E. Mason, 26, died at the scene where the three were found about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday (December 18, 2024).

The other two, Janis Mason, 61, and Caleb Mason, 23, were both pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, WCIO-TV reported. A vigil was held for the victims at a local church Thursday (December 19, 2024) evening.

Investigations into their deaths and the death of Lyons are ongoing.