Former Elk Grove cop on 911 tape: 'I just shot and killed my wife'

COURTESY OF WCPO-TVJo Ann Hawkins, center, is pictured with her two sons. Her husband, former Elk Grove police officer Jeffrey Hawkins, called 911 to report "I just shot and killed my wife" to the Hamilton County, Ohio, dispatcher, authorities said.

Jeffrey Hawkins resigned as an Elk Grove Village police officer in 1999 in the midst of an internal investigation into claims he used excessive force during an arrest. Daily Herald File Photo

Jeffrey Hawkins, a 57-year-old former Elk Grove Village police officer, is being held on $3 million bail facing charges he killed his wife Monday in their suburban Cincinnati house. He was arrested after calling 911 and calmly confessing, authorities said. Associated Press

A former Elk Grove Village police officer now living in Ohio called 911 Monday to say he shot and killed his wife, authorities say.

Jeffrey Hawkins, who is charged with murder and being held on $3 million bail, worked as an Elk Grove cop from 1990 until 1999, when he resigned in the midst of an internal investigation into allegations he used excessive force during an arrest.

Hawkins, 57, surrendered to police Monday morning at his suburban Cincinnati house after placing a 911 call in which he said, "I just shot and killed my wife," according to authorities. He told the dispatcher he would leave his gun in the kitchen and wait for police on his front stoop.

Authorities said Hawkins told them his wife, 59-year-old Jo Ann Hawkins, cleaned out their bank account on Saturday -- his birthday -- and refused to talk to him Monday before he shot her multiple times with a .40-caliber handgun.

In February 1999, Hawkins voluntarily stepped down from his position as an Elk Grove police sergeant as he was being investigated for excessive force. Another officer lodged the complaint, claiming Hawkins punched a 21-year-old man in the face.

Hawkins denied the allegations, saying in a 1999 interview with the Daily Herald that he employed only "legalized force" to make the arrest. He claimed his co-worker was a disgruntled employee.

When asked Wednesday about Hawkins' tenure in Elk Grove Village, Mayor Craig Johnson said, "He resigned from the village before any further actions were going to be taken by the village."

Elk Grove Police Chief Stephen Schmidt said in a news release that Hawkins resigned after the police department "initiated an investigation of alleged violations of the department policies and procedures." Schmidt said the village extends its condolences to the family of Jo Ann Hawkins.

Jeffrey Hawkins said at the time he resigned because he was frustrated by the dragging internal investigation, while at the same time he was offered a job in the private sector.

Hawkins headed security for the Field Museum starting in September 1999, which included keeping watch of the Sue dinosaur and other specimens, according to a 2000 article in the Pelco Press magazine.

He identified himself on his LinkedIn page as a public safety and security professional who headed security in the pharmaceutical, health care, cultural properties, religious and corporate industries. He graduated from National Louis University in 1995 with a master's degree in management and from Elmhurst College in 1985 with a degree in business management, according to the LinkedIn page.

His personal website was not active as of Tuesday morning.

Hawkins also was one of a few Elk Grove officers cleared after a 1998 federal civil rights trial in which they were accused of malicious prosecution, excessive force and false arrest. The case stemmed from an argument in 1993 between a printing company owner and another officer that escalated into the businessman and his father being taken into custody.

During his tenure with the Elk Grove Police Department, Hawkins earned commendations for helping upgrade the department's computer operations and for his role in investigating a homicide that led to two suspects being charged only hours after the crime. He joined the department as a police officer in October 1990 and was promoted to sergeant in February 1998.

• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.