Victim's family criticizes police

The gunman had said he wouldn't hurt the victim.
CHICAGO (AP) -- The family of a slain 22-year-old woman said Friday they were upset and confused by how police handled a 23-hour Thanksgiving Day standoff that ended with a gunman's killing his hostage and himself.
"We're angry," said India Cooks, 30, whose cousin Tasha Cooks was killed. "This is about, 'Did you do the best job you could to save a life?'"
First Deputy Superintendent Dana Starks said negotiators had tried for hours to coax Lance Johnson, 21, to end the standoff, but SWAT team members rushed the third-floor apartment immediately after the sound of a gunshot shortly after 1 a.m. on Friday, he said.
"We have protocols and procedures we had been following," Starks said, without elaborating. "At no time did the Chicago Police Department fire a weapon."
"They [police] talked to him. He assured us he wouldn't kill her. He said, 'All I want is a cigarette and some soda pop.' He said, 'I'm not going to hurt her,'" India Cooks said.
Identity from relatives
Police have not released the victim's identity, but relatives said she was Cooks, a nursing home worker. The hostage and Johnson were the only people in the apartment, Starks said.
Frustrated relatives and neighbors said police should have done more to end the standoff. A group of about 10 people angrily questioned police who arrived at the apartment Friday afternoon.
"I think police could have gotten more control of the situation and could have gotten there before," said Donzell McKinzie, Cooks' 23-year-old brother. "We've just been crying all day."
Police have not said whether Cooks and Johnson knew each other, but family members said they were neighbors.
Made calls
Cooks used the apartment's phone to call her great-grandmother earlier in the day, family members said. Around 8 p.m., she told them she was being beaten.
"That was the last time I heard ... her, and she said she didn't want to talk anymore," McKinzie said.
The standoff took place inside a three-story brick apartment building in the South Shore neighborhood, which sits along Lake Michigan.
James Milton, 35, has lived in neighborhood for 18 years and knew Cooks.
"She was a nice, quiet little girl. She didn't really bother anyone. She was someone everyone knew," Milton said.
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