On August 9, 2023, a tragic shooting incident occurred at a residence on the 5800 block of Wild Plum Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake, Illinois. Among the victims was Chang Hee Song, a 73-year-old woman who was identified as one of the deceased.
Chang Hee Song was one of three female family members who were fatally shot by Jean Song, a 44-year-old male who was also a family member. The incident began early in the morning, around 3:56 a.m., when McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a 911 call from a woman inside the house reporting that someone was shooting their relatives.
Upon arrival, deputies found Chang Hee Song, along with Yuna Song (49 years old) and Lauren Smith-Song (32 years old), dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The McHenry County Coroner’s Office later ruled their deaths as homicides.
In addition to the three deceased women, a fourth female family member was seriously injured and later released from the hospital. Jean Song, the shooter, was also found seriously injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died at the hospital. His death was ruled a suicide.
The investigation conducted by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Major Investigations Assistance Team (MIAT) concluded that the shooting was a result of a familial domestic situation that escalated from a verbal dispute to physical violence. It was determined that Jean Song was likely suffering from a mental health crisis at the time of the incident.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that there had been no prior interactions with law enforcement at this residence and highlighted the importance of community resources, such as the Police Social Work Program, for aiding residents with various conditions and circumstances.
