DeKALB – A man who was shot by a DeKalb police officer during a domestic dispute died from his injuries Monday. In a department statement, DeKalb police said the man had threated himself, a woman and officers with a “Samurai sword” weapon.
The identity of the deceased is not yet known pending notification of next of kin, said DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd.
The officer who fired the gun has been placed on administrative duty per departmental policy when a police officer discharges their firearm, Byrd said. An investigation into the use of force incident will be conducted by the Illinois State Police.
Byrd said the man was shot by the officer “in the chest area to side, upper chest” area and was transported by DeKalb paramedics to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, where he was “in serious condition.”
He later succumbed to his wounds, Byrd said around 10:30 a.m. Monday. No police officers were injured, Byrd said.
DeKalb police were responding to a report of domestic violence at a home in the 100 block of Tilton Park Avenue around 2:45 a.m. Monday, Byrd said. A citywide emergency alert was sent around 2:56 a.m. alerting residents to avoid the area due to “police activity in the area.”
The man who was shot by the officer was the alleged offender in the domestic violence call, Byrd said.
“It started as a domestic and then evolved into a subject brandishing and attacking with a weapon,” Byrd said. “Looks like a subject brandished an edge weapon and he advanced on a police officer and they had to fire.”
Byrd clarified that “edge weapon” meant knife. The weapon was later described as a “Samurai sword” in a news statement released around 2:20 p.m. Monday.
According to the statement, police said officers were initially called to a home in the 100 block of Tilton Park Avenue for reports of a “domestic disturbance.”
Upon arrival, officers discovered a “frantic female subject” in the back yard, according to the department statement. Police said the woman told officers that the man inside the home had been drinking an alcoholic beverage and was armed with a “Samurai sword.” Police said the woman told officers the man threatened to kill her and attack the police.
The woman reportedly told police the man was “a danger to himself and had self-inflicted wounds to his wrist,” according to the police statement.
Officers then escorted the woman to a safe location and attempted to make contact with the man inside the home, the release states.
According to the DeKalb police statement, officers attempted to speak to the man through the door of the home, and “were able to start a dialogue,” talking to the man for several minutes “attempting to de-escalate the situation.”
Byrd described de-escalation dialogue as “verbal Judo,” Monday. He said about 20 to 30 minutes passed between the time of call and when the man was shot by police.
The statement says officers convinced the man to open the door, at which point they said the man “grabbed a large-edged weapon consistent with the description of a “Samurai sword,” and advanced towards [the] officer with the weapon over his head and pointed at the officers.”
According to the release, DeKalb officers told the man to drop the weapon and stop several times. He refused, police said, leading officers to deploy what the statement described as “less than lethal measures (taser and bean bag projectile).”
Byrd said a bean bag projectile is a gun which fires bean bags for police to use as a “non-lethal” weapon.
Byrd said there were three officers involved, and one each fired a different weapon: a taser, a bean bag projectile and a firearm.
The Illinois State Police have been called and will investigate the police shooting, Byrd said.
Byrd said the ISP’s involvement is according to DeKalb Police Department policy.
It’s the second time this year that a DeKalb officer has been involved in a shooting and given desk duty while the state police investigates. No one was injured in the incident earlier this year, however.
On Aug. 8, a DeKalb police officer fired their gun at a man in the 900 block of Spiros Court. According to DeKalb County court records, the officer fired one shot at the man – but did not hit him – after he was allegedly seen pointing a handgun at others and didn’t comply with the officer’s order to put the weapon down. The officer involved in that incident was also placed on desk duty pending an ISP investigation.
This story was updated at 3:18 p.m. with additional information from the DeKalb Police Department and DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd. Additional updates could be forthcoming.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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