Tinley Park shooting: Charges filed against man accused of killing wife, 3 daughters
TINLEY PARK, Ill. - A Tinley Park man was charged in connection to the shooting deaths of his wife and three daughters Tuesday morning.
Maher Kassem, 63, was arrested after allegedly shooting his wife, Majeda, and their daughters, Halema, Hanan, and Zahia on Sunday morning at a home they shared in the 7400 block of W. 173rd Place.
Twin sisters, Halema and Zahia, were both 25 years old. The youngest, Hanan, was 24. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said all four women were shot multiple times.
Maher was charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Police say he fatally shot his wife and three daughters during an argument.
He called Tinley Park police at 11:20 a.m. to report someone had been shot in the home. Officers located the victims in the lower level of the home.
Before he was taken into custody, Maher made statements related to his involvement and recovered the gun believed to be used in the shooting.
"Words can’t describe how deeply saddened I am at this horrible tragedy," Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz said. "A mother and her three daughters are gone, murdered in an act of senseless domestic violence. The entire Tinley Park community is heartbroken at the loss of these four innocent women, and we grieve alongside the family, friends and neighbors who loved them."
Advocates for domestic violence victims said it’s likely the killer had a history of using violence and authority to exert his will over other members of the family.
"We do know that the family is of Arab descent, of Palestinian descent. They are Muslim," said Itedal Shalabi of Arab American Family Services. "And at this point, this has nothing to do with Islam or any other religion. This is about power and control. This is about gender-based violence."
Tinley Park Police said they were not aware of any warning signs and had never been called to the home before.
Friends of the victims gathered at the crime scene on Monday, placing flowers in front of the police tape surrounding the home. Most were students who went to pharmacy school at Chicago State University with Halema.