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Son Charged In Fatal Shooting Of Woman Outside Burr Ridge Church

UPDATED: 8/29/2013 - 6 p.m.

BURR RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- A 27-year-old Downers Grove man has been charged in the murder of his mother, who was found shot to death in the parking lot of a Burr Ridge church early Thursday.

Michael Zaky Bassaly was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 61-year-old Yvonne Zaky Bassaly, the DuPage County State's Attorney's office announced Thursday. He was expected to appear in court Friday.

Woman Shot And Killed In Burr Ridge

CBS 2′s Susanna Song reports, according to police, the victim was inside or near a silver Cadillac in the lot of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Burr Ridge when she was shot around 1 a.m. The one person with her called 911 and became a suspect.

The woman was later pronounced dead at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital.

"We believe this is an isolated incident, that the residents are safe," Burr Ridge Deputy Police Chief Marc Loftus said.

As of late Thursday morning, police were calling the case a death investigation, but if it is classified as a homicide, it would be the first murder ever in Burr Ridge.

The motive for the shooting was unclear Thursday morning.

Fr. Samuel Thabet Samuel, pastor of St. Mark, said although the victim and the alleged shooter are Egyptian, they not members of the church.

"The church has nothing to do with it. Our parishioners have nothing to do with it," Samuel said. "Of course, we are so sorry for the loss of life, and we are so sorry for the criminal who did this crime."

Asked why the victim and suspect might have been in the parking lot, he said, "The one who did the crime thought about a quiet place, isolated area, and knew about it, because I heard that he came a couple times."

Parishioner Rebecca Michaels said the church is relieved this was not an apparent hate crime.

"Obviously that would give comfort to a lot of people in the church, in a situation in which Coptic Christians have already been targeted all over the world, as a minority community," Michaels said.

There had been no church service or other event at St. Mark on Wednesday night. Preschool classes at the church were canceled until Tuesday. Thursday's mass also was canceled. Bible study and other church activities were set to resume Thursday night.

Burr_Ridge_Shooting
A woman was found shot inside this car in a church parking lot. (Credit: Regine Schlesinger/WBBM Newsradio)

About 800 Coptic orthodox families, most of them Egyptians, attend the church.

"They're professionals. They live around Burr Ridge. They built their homes to be close to church. The church is a social place," Michaels said.

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