Michael Bassaly Charged With Murdering His Mother Outside Burr Ridge Church

A Downers Grove, Ill. man was charged Thursday with murdering his 61-year-old mother in the parking lot of a suburban Chicago church earlier in the day.

Michael Zaky Bassaly, 27, was charged with first-degree murder early Thursday evening and was ordered held without bond in court Friday morning, NBC Chicago reports.

Michael's mother, Yvonne Zaky Bassaly, was found fatally shot in the head in a Cadillac in a parking lot outside St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Burr Ridge, Ill. about 1 a.m. Thursday. The 911 caller, Michael, was taken into custody after originally being considered only a witness.

The shooting was described as an "isolated incident" by police. The shooting marks the first homicide in the history of Burr Ridge, a wealthy southwest suburb.

The shooting appears to have had nothing to do with the church, authorities told the Daily Herald, though St. Mark attorney Rebecca Michaels said Coptic Christians are targeted for persecution around the world.

"It's unfortunate they used the church because it might have a chilling effect on people coming to the church or people associating violent behavior with a church that's been there over 30 years," Michaels told the paper.

ABC Chicago reports police searched the Downers Grove apartment where the Bassalys are believed to have lived. Neighbors say they did not know the suspect and his mother.

According to CBS Chicago, Michael Bassaly was being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for being allegedly involved in forging asylum applications. He reportedly had plans to kill himself, which his mother was trying to talk him out of.