Police: Shooter thought he was cheated over invention

CHICAGO -- Police say Joe Jackson was turned away at least once Friday as he tried to get to the high-rise office of a patent lawyer he had a grudge against. He didn't have an appointment.

When he came back that day, Jackson had lawyer Michael R. McKenna's business card in his pocket and a manila envelope in his hand. He got close enough to a security guard to jam a revolver hidden in the envelope into his side.

"This guy's telling him, 'Take me upstairs. Don't say anything,'" Chicago police superintendent Phil Cline said Saturday. "He followed instructions."

That's how Jackson, also armed with a knife and a hammer, made it to the 38th floor of the Citigroup Center. He chained and locked a law-firm door before going on a 45-minute rampage, killing three people, including McKenna, and wounding a fourth.

His bullets sprayed the offices with blood and broken glass. One victim was left dead in a hallway, Cline said. And as he terrorized office workers he made sure they heard his complaint: He claimed he had been cheated over an invention, a toilet designed for a truck.

SWAT officers killed the gunman, shooting him in the face and chest with sniper rifles, after he grabbed a hostage, Cline said. Police made no attempt to negotiate with Jackson, who was pointing his gun alternately at the hostage's head and his own.

"He had already shot four people. He had reloaded his gun," Cline said.

Investigators were looking into a possible connection between Jackson, 59, and McKenna, 58, including whether Jackson had been a client, Cline said. The Chicago lawyer rented space in the building from the firm Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer.

"We know he went there for Mr. McKenna, then he continued to shoot other people," Cline said.

Also killed were Allen J. Hoover, 65, of Wilmette; and Paul Goodson, 78, of Chicago. Hoover was a partner at Wood Phillips. Goodson, a retired teacher, worked part time there, sorting mail and making deliveries.

Ruth Zak Leib, identified by police as McKenna's longtime paralegal assistant, was shot in the foot. The 57-year-old Oak Park woman was released from Rush University Medical Center on Friday night, hospital spokeswoman Kim Waterman said.

Cline did not name the security guard, and did not criticize him for doing what Jackson ordered. The guard fled during the incident and went home before meeting with investigators, Cline said.

"He was very distraught. Later on, once he composed himself, he agreed to meet with detectives. He cooperated fully [Friday] night," Cline said.

The rampage sent workers fleeing the 43-story Citigroup Center, and left rush-hour commuters temporarily stranded because the office tower also houses a commuter train station.

McKenna has a son who is a police officer, but was not among officers who went to the scene, Cline said.

A message left for a partner at the law firm, Stephen D. Geimer, at his home on Saturday was not immediately returned, nor was an e-mail sent to another partner, Jeffrey Clark.

Jackson had three criminal offenses on his record, Cline said. In 1968 he was arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon and in 1977 he was arrested for a stolen motor vehicle and disorderly conduct.

A call to a telephone listing for Jackson at an address provided by the medical examiner's office reached a telephone company recording, which said the customer had requested the listing remain private.

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Associated Press writers Don Babwin, Deanna Bellandi, Dave Carpenter and Nathaniel Hernandez contributed to this report.