Investigation underway after officer shot, killed man holding knife in Rockford
ROCKFORD, Ill. (CBS) – One man is dead he was shot and killed by responding officers in Rockford Sunday morning.
The Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office said around 12:11 a.m., a resident of an apartment, located in the 1300 block of Charles Street, called 911 to report her neighbor in another apartment was saying things like "help me" and "kill me" repeatedly.
Two Rockford police officers responded to the location. They couldn't immediately enter the building and called the landlord to gain access to the common area stairwell.
Upon entry, officers immediately encountered the resident at the door of his apartment who had a knife and a boxcutter in his hands. The office identified the resident as Patrick R. Kirby.
Officers gave commands for Kirby to drop the knife but he advanced toward the officers - refusing to drop the weapons, the office said.
One of the officers fired three rounds at Kirby. He died as a result of gunshot wounds.
After the shooting, and at the request of Rockford Police Department Chief Carla Redd, the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force arrived at the scene and took over the investigation, according to the office.
The Rockford Police Department will not participate in the investigation.
The office said investigators are in the preliminary portion of the investigation and will begin interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence from the scene, and obtaining video evidence - including the officers' body cam footage.
