CHICAGO (STNG) -- A garbage man discovered a handgun in an alley Friday morning near the site of the murders of an off-duty police detective and a woman he was with early Wednesday in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.
The worker, possibly for the city Streets & Sanitation Dept., was moving a garbage can to empty it into his truck when he discovered a Taurus revolver of unknown caliber under the can in an alley in the 600 block of North Talman Avenue, according to a Wood District police sergeant.
The worker contacted his dispatcher, who notified police, and the gun was turned over to evidence technicians who will conduct ballistics tests.
The sergeant said he did not know how long the tests would take to find out if the gun was connected to either of three recent homicides in the area, including that of off-duty police detective Robert Soto, 49, and his companion, 45-year-old Kathryn Romberg, an employee of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The Soto family released a statment today referring to Soto as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. "He was a dedicated officer who put in more than what was expected of him into his career. His journey to Ground Zero during 9/11 is just one example of his dedication towards helping others," the statement said.
“I would assume it would be a priority case for the crime lab,’’ according to the sergeant.
Soto, a 23-year police department veteran, and Romberg were shot about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday while sitting in the officer’s personal SUV at 3044 W. Franklin Blvd. near Romberg's home, police said.
Neighbors reported hearing loud voices about 90 minutes before gunshots rang out on the block of condos. Police said they were investigating whether the two were killed during an attempted robbery.
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