[June 11, 2009]

State's attorney: Robbery suspect hinted at suicide before shooting: Weapon was modified BB gun

BLOOMINGTON, Jun 11, 2009 (The Pantagraph - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In a cell phone conversation during a police pursuit that ended in his death Jan. 5, Robert Sylvester Sr. told a family member he was not going back to prison.

In a statement released Thursday, McLean County State's Attorney Bill Yoder ruled police were justified in shooting Sylvester, a serial bank robbery suspect who was armed with a modified air pistol when he confronted police on Interstate 55 near the split with Interstate 74, north of Normal.

The report is the first time authorities have confirmed that Sylvester's weapon was a BB gun, with its barrel drilled out to resemble a real firearm.

Although several officers fired shots, an unidentified state trooper fired the fatal shot to Sylvester's head, said the report.

No criminal charges or action will be taken related to the shooting, said Yoder.

Recovered from Sylvester's car was $2,420 in cash and a receipt for the air pistol found near his body. An additional $2,150 was found in his wallet, according to investigation results.

Toxicology reports indicated that Sylvester had THC, the primary substance that produces the effects of marijuana; Venlafaxine, a drug prescribed to treat depression; and caffeine in his system when he died.

Final moments Sylvester was a suspect in the Jan. 5 armed robbery of Check 'n Go on West Market Street. Officers from the McLean County Sheriff's Department, Lexington Police Department, Bloomington and Normal departments, Illinois State University police and state police were involved in the pursuit that ended after Sylvester drove his sport utility vehicle into a median on southbound I-55 adjacent to Normal Community West High School.

As he maneuvered his vehicle during the police chase, which went as far north as Lexington and looped around Lake Bloomington, Sylvester spoke with at least one family member who was not identified in Yoder's statement.

The relative received a voice mail from Sylvester stating, "Good-bye, I love you and God bless you," the statement said.

A birthday card sent to the family member, containing what appeared to be a suicide-type message, was turned over to authorities. Sylvester, who had served time in federal prison on drug offenses, said he was miserable.

Twin City police cleared six armed robbery cases after Sylvester's death.

Court records indicate that the former ironworker was experiencing financial difficulties.

Shooting details Video from a Lexington squad car showed Sylvester "traveling at a high rate of speed, swerving toward oncoming traffic, disobeying stop signs, passing vehicles on the shoulder of the roadway," according to First Assistant State's Attorney Kim Campbell's summary of the state police investigation into the shooting.

Footage from a McLean County police vehicle reportedly shows the 57-year-old suspect leaving his vehicle with a handgun, and running across northbound lanes of traffic while pointing the gun at other motorists and police. The officers' firing their weapons are captured on the county police video, the report said.

Among witnesses named in Yoder's report is Pantagraph Photo Editor David Proeber, whose account of the incident was described in a . Proeber was photographing the chase when the shooting occurred.

The investigation concluded that three officers from three agencies -- Bloomington, Normal and state police -- fired weapons at Sylvester. The fatal shot came from the state trooper but investigators could not determine which local officer fired the shot that hit Sylvester in the leg because the bullet was badly damaged.

To see more of The Pantagraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pantagraph.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

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