$10,000 reward announced in slaying of veteran Chicago cop
By Robert Mitchum, Azam Ahmed and David Heinzmann
Chicago Tribune staff reporters
5:13 PM CDT, August 14, 2008
A $10,000 reward was announced Thursday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of veteran Chicago Police Officer Robert Soto.
The officer was fatally shot Wednesday morning along with a female passenger in his sport-utility vehicle on Chicago's West Side during what police called an apparent botched robbery.
The shooting woke up residents on the 3000 block of Franklin Boulevard. When police arrived they found Kathryn Romberg, 45, and Soto, 49, bleeding from gunshot wounds. Soto was pronounced dead in Mt. Sinai Hospital at 3:05 a.m. Thursday.
Soto, a 23-year veteran of the Police Department, most recently worked on the day shift as a bomb and arson detective, said one of his supervisors, Sgt. Jim Egan.
"He was anxious to learn what was needed to be learned for arson investigations," Egan said Thursday morning. "He always volunteered to do whatever [was needed]."
The Fraternal Order of Police is offering the reward and asking anyone with information to call Harrison Area detectives at 312-746-8252.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis issued a statement mourning the loss of "a proud member" of the department, noting that Soto had served "with the distinction of 55 honorable mentions and the dedication and courage of a Chicago police officer."
When residents on a quiet block of Franklin Boulevard were awoken by shouting from a black SUV late Tuesday, they called police to complain, thinking it was another case of people drinking on the block.
About an hour and a half later, they were awakened again; this time by gunshots, loud, long blasts from a car horn and a man inside the SUV screaming, "Help me, I've been shot!"
When police arrived, they found Romberg and Soto bleeding from gunshot wounds in what police called an attempted robbery. Romberg, who lived in an apartment only steps from where the vehicle was parked, was dead at the scene.
A police source said Soto was wearing a police star around his neck and a bomb and arson pullover or sweater when the shootings occurred. A .38-caliber snub-nose gun was found locked in the glove box, though his 9 mm service weapon was not in the vehicle, the source said.
Neighbors and co-workers wondered Wednesday why Romberg, a single mother with two jobs, and the cheerful Soto, described as the guardian of his Southwest Side neighborhood, would be the victims of such a violent attack. Police released few details about the shooting, with Weis saying only that it appeared to be an attempted robbery gone awry.
"He would actually look out for us," Marisol Ortiz, 20, said, referring to Soto, whose family lives next door to his house near Midway Airport "Besides our parents, for us kids, we had him. He was the person we went to if we needed anything."
Romberg, a supervisor at the Department of Children and Family Services and a part-time real estate agent for Falcon Living, lived with a daughter in her early 20s. Romberg's manager at Falcon Living, Yigit Sahinoglu, said she had the ideal personality for matching clients with apartments in Chicago's Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods.
"She was successful," Sahinoglu said. "A very nice, very decent person. She was always smiling, shaking hands, asking people how they are."
Romberg's brother said she was a persevering single mother whose experiences helped shape her interest in social work. She received a master's degree in that field from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"She raised her child by herself and put herself through school," said Dr. Michael Romberg, a surgeon at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest. "I think she saw from her experiences what was out there, and I think she wanted to help who she could."
No suspects were in custody Thursday afternoon. But police were looking for a dark-colored vehicle such as a Ford Taurus or a Chevrolet Lumina based on witnesses' accounts, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond. They also were reviewing surveillance video for more details.
Before he lost consciousness, Soto described his attackers, a police source said. There has been a recent pattern of robberies in the area carried out by a group fitting his description, the source said.
Britany Russell, who lives near where the shooting occurred, said she was preparing for bed around midnight when she heard people "talking really loudly" from an SUV parked next to the envelope factory next door. Shortly after 1 a.m., neighbors heard another argument, this time between two men. Twenty minutes later, Russell and others heard three or four gunshots followed by a car horn repeatedly blaring.
When Russell looked out her front window, she saw the SUV with the driver's-side door ajar and a shattered rear passenger's window. The man in the driver's seat was yelling, "Help me! Help me!" she said.
Soto was the friendly protector of his block, a man who would come home every day on his lunch break to attend to a disabled brother who lives with the family, neighbors said. He would also invite people to back-yard barbecues, urging children to swim in his pool. When neighbors left town, he would check on their properties to make sure all was well.
"He is one of the greatest policemen I know," said Laurie Kocanda, 75, who lives near his family. "I feel safe with him as a policeman in the neighborhood."
Romberg worked for DCFS for 13 years and was a supervisor in the division of child protection, the department said.
"She was extremely professional," said James Burton, an assistant Cook County public guardian who worked with Romberg on several cases. "She seemed like a very sweet, outgoing and professional person whenever she was [in court], a very cheerful person."
By Robert Mitchum, Azam Ahmed and David Heinzmann
Chicago Tribune staff reporters
5:13 PM CDT, August 14, 2008
A $10,000 reward was announced Thursday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of veteran Chicago Police Officer Robert Soto.
The officer was fatally shot Wednesday morning along with a female passenger in his sport-utility vehicle on Chicago's West Side during what police called an apparent botched robbery.
The shooting woke up residents on the 3000 block of Franklin Boulevard. When police arrived they found Kathryn Romberg, 45, and Soto, 49, bleeding from gunshot wounds. Soto was pronounced dead in Mt. Sinai Hospital at 3:05 a.m. Thursday.
Soto, a 23-year veteran of the Police Department, most recently worked on the day shift as a bomb and arson detective, said one of his supervisors, Sgt. Jim Egan.
"He was anxious to learn what was needed to be learned for arson investigations," Egan said Thursday morning. "He always volunteered to do whatever [was needed]."
The Fraternal Order of Police is offering the reward and asking anyone with information to call Harrison Area detectives at 312-746-8252.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis issued a statement mourning the loss of "a proud member" of the department, noting that Soto had served "with the distinction of 55 honorable mentions and the dedication and courage of a Chicago police officer."
When residents on a quiet block of Franklin Boulevard were awoken by shouting from a black SUV late Tuesday, they called police to complain, thinking it was another case of people drinking on the block.
About an hour and a half later, they were awakened again; this time by gunshots, loud, long blasts from a car horn and a man inside the SUV screaming, "Help me, I've been shot!"
When police arrived, they found Romberg and Soto bleeding from gunshot wounds in what police called an attempted robbery. Romberg, who lived in an apartment only steps from where the vehicle was parked, was dead at the scene.
A police source said Soto was wearing a police star around his neck and a bomb and arson pullover or sweater when the shootings occurred. A .38-caliber snub-nose gun was found locked in the glove box, though his 9 mm service weapon was not in the vehicle, the source said.
Neighbors and co-workers wondered Wednesday why Romberg, a single mother with two jobs, and the cheerful Soto, described as the guardian of his Southwest Side neighborhood, would be the victims of such a violent attack. Police released few details about the shooting, with Weis saying only that it appeared to be an attempted robbery gone awry.
"He would actually look out for us," Marisol Ortiz, 20, said, referring to Soto, whose family lives next door to his house near Midway Airport "Besides our parents, for us kids, we had him. He was the person we went to if we needed anything."
Romberg, a supervisor at the Department of Children and Family Services and a part-time real estate agent for Falcon Living, lived with a daughter in her early 20s. Romberg's manager at Falcon Living, Yigit Sahinoglu, said she had the ideal personality for matching clients with apartments in Chicago's Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods.
"She was successful," Sahinoglu said. "A very nice, very decent person. She was always smiling, shaking hands, asking people how they are."
Romberg's brother said she was a persevering single mother whose experiences helped shape her interest in social work. She received a master's degree in that field from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"She raised her child by herself and put herself through school," said Dr. Michael Romberg, a surgeon at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest. "I think she saw from her experiences what was out there, and I think she wanted to help who she could."
No suspects were in custody Thursday afternoon. But police were looking for a dark-colored vehicle such as a Ford Taurus or a Chevrolet Lumina based on witnesses' accounts, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond. They also were reviewing surveillance video for more details.
Before he lost consciousness, Soto described his attackers, a police source said. There has been a recent pattern of robberies in the area carried out by a group fitting his description, the source said.
Britany Russell, who lives near where the shooting occurred, said she was preparing for bed around midnight when she heard people "talking really loudly" from an SUV parked next to the envelope factory next door. Shortly after 1 a.m., neighbors heard another argument, this time between two men. Twenty minutes later, Russell and others heard three or four gunshots followed by a car horn repeatedly blaring.
When Russell looked out her front window, she saw the SUV with the driver's-side door ajar and a shattered rear passenger's window. The man in the driver's seat was yelling, "Help me! Help me!" she said.
Soto was the friendly protector of his block, a man who would come home every day on his lunch break to attend to a disabled brother who lives with the family, neighbors said. He would also invite people to back-yard barbecues, urging children to swim in his pool. When neighbors left town, he would check on their properties to make sure all was well.
"He is one of the greatest policemen I know," said Laurie Kocanda, 75, who lives near his family. "I feel safe with him as a policeman in the neighborhood."
Romberg worked for DCFS for 13 years and was a supervisor in the division of child protection, the department said.
"She was extremely professional," said James Burton, an assistant Cook County public guardian who worked with Romberg on several cases. "She seemed like a very sweet, outgoing and professional person whenever she was [in court], a very cheerful person."
