Domestic Battery Suspect Shot, Killed By Sleepy Hollow Police
SLEEPY HOLLOW, Ill. (STMW) -- Two northwest suburban police officers fatally shot a suspect in a domestic battery Sunday after he slashed at them with a knife.
Officers were called at 11:52 a.m. to a home at Maple Lane and Hemlock Drive for a domestic report, Sleepy Hollow Police Chief James Linane said in a press conference Sunday evening.
When they arrived, the two officers found multiple victims outside the home, including an adult female who was bleeding from a head wound and another adult male with unknown injuries, police said.
A male assailant, whom Linane did not identify, was still going after the female victim and failed to comply with officers' commands, the chief said. "Officers attempted to restrain the suspect, at which time the suspect pulled out a knife and began slashing in the direction of the officers," Linane said, reading from a prepared statement.
"The officers were forced to discharge their weapons for their own safety and the safety of the victims," Linane said.
The suspect was taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where he was later declared dead, Linane said. He was informed of the suspect's death later in the afternoon, he added.
The female victim in the original domestic battery call also was taken to Sherman for treatment. Her condition or the extent of her injures were not made available. Linane did not know if the second adult male required medical treatment.
Linane declined to specify the relationship among those involved in the incident or whether they were residents of the address.
This is the first officer-involved shooting in memory in the small village of 3,500 residents. Linane described the village's crime rate as "very small," noting that of Part 1 crimes against people, the village had just a half-dozen burglaries in 2013.
The Illinois State Police have been called in to investigate the shooting, and the officers currently are on paid administrative leave, Linane said. He did not know if an autopsy has been scheduled with the Kane County Coroner's Office.
Sleepy Hollow squad cars are not equipped with video cameras, and the incident was not recorded in any way, he added.
Both officers discharged their weapons during the incident, Linane said, and both have been offered counseling from the department.
It is rare for an officer to have to use his or her gun at any time in a career, Linane said. The department chaplain was called in to meet with the officers, whom Linane described as police veterans — one with many years in Sleepy Hollow and the other newer to the department but also a veteran officer.
"This is a brand new experience, and I would say they are digesting it all and figuring out what happened," he said. "We are providing them with assistance, and we will provide them, and their families, with more assistance."
West Dundee police provided assistance at the scene and with general manpower.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
