A cancer patient beaten to death outside of a treatment center in IL this week was a St. Louis native, according to her family.
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A visitation and funeral will take place Tuesday at St.
Shannon Vincel was attacked outside a Cancer Treatment Center of America’s hotel facility in Zion at 9:30 p.m. on August 15. She died the following day from her injuries.
“She was a gentle loving, sweet girl, and she would’ve never hurt anybody”, said Anita Adams, Shannon’s mother.
Adams and her husband Gene said they are simply trying to understand why this happened. “I love you mom.’ I said, ‘I love you too, be careful, ‘ and that was the last time I talked to her”, said Adam. “She’d lost all her hair, but she dealt with it so well”. She and another patient were waiting outside for the shuttle bus to take them for treatment and around 9:45 pm, the assailant approached from the sidewalk and struck Vincel in the head and ran away, the witness told police.
The suspect was described as a black male wearing dark clothing.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force, along with the Zion Police Department, is investigating this homicide. Cancer Treatment Centers has pledged $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man responsible for the murder, according to Kristen Gerlach, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
The statement added that “security has always been our highest priority and in the wake of this incident, we have increased our security presence as a precautionary measure to protect the safety of our patients, guests and employees”.
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“She said, “We’re here, we’re here”. “I don’t know what i can call him – if that thing were off the streets. Because no one is safe with people like that out walking around”, said Adam.
