1 dead in Aurora, Illinois police shooting after dragging officer from car in nearby Geneva, police say
A man was shot a killed by police in Aurora, Illinois, after earlier dragging a police officer from his car in nearby Geneva early Wednesday morning.
Geneva police said an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle parked in a lot in the 1500 block of South Randall Road around 1:30 a.m., and noticed the driver might have been intoxicated.
When the officer asked the man to exit the vehicle, he drove away, dragging the officer a short distance in the parking lot. The officer was seriously injured and was taken to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital for treatment.
Geneva police notified neighboring police departments of the fleeing vehicle, and Aurora police later spotted a car matching the license plate and description of the Geneva incident driving south on Lake Street near Galena Boulevard around 1:40 a.m.
Aurora police said officers tried to stop the car, but the driver refused, resulting in a chase, which continued onto northbound Route 25 until police were able to deploy stop sticks as it approached the Ashland Avenue exit.
When officers tried to speak to the driver after the vehicle came to a stop, police said the driver pulled out a gun and two Aurora officers opened fire.
The driver was struck and police rendered first aid until he could be taken to Rush Copley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Kane County Coroner's Office identified the man as 19-year-old Christopher Lepe, of Aurora.
Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said a weapon was recovered at the scene.
An investigation into the police shooting by the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force is ongoing. Both officers have been put on administrative leave during the investigation.
Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said her office will review the findings of that investigation to determine if the officers should face any criminal charges. She said the process could take several months.
Mosser said body camera footage of the shooting will not be released at least until after the officers involved are questioned about the shooting, so that they cannot review the video before making any official statements.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said he's confident that the officers' actions were justified.
"Any loss of life is deeply concerning, and I recognize the impact this has on everyone in our community," he said. "In my opinion, Aurora police officers are the most well-trained, prepared, and professional police officers in our state, and arguably this entire country. I fully expect that the officers involved rightfully relied on that training, experience, and professionalism in this tragic situation, and appropriately acted to make sure our community is safe, and that those officers made it home to their families."
