Man dead in police shooting after hostage standoff in DeKalb: sheriff

DeKALB – A man was shot and killed by police Wednesday in DeKalb after authorities said he took a person hostage inside a vehicle in Rockford and drove to DeKalb, where an hourslong standoff unfurled, ending in a shootout with police, DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan said.

The man held a woman hostage inside a vehicle in rural DeKalb Township for hours Wednesday morning, refusing to come out of the vehicle and eventually firing multiple times from a handgun at police, Sullivan said. No officers were injured, but a county sheriff squad car and an armored vehicle were struck by gunfire, Sullivan said.

The hostage was released uninjured in the early-morning hours Wednesday before the man was shot by police, and she is safe. No deputies or police were injured. The man was wanted in connection with a separate shooting in Rockford, police said.

“There has been an officer-involved shooting,” Sullivan said about 6 a.m. Wednesday. “We are turning that part of the investigation over to the Illinois State Police to conduct an independent investigation.”

Authorities have not identified anyone involved in the shooting or the man they shot as of 10 a.m. Sullivan said investigators still are piecing together a motive.

In an update released about 6:40 a.m. Wednesday, Sullivan said the man was killed after he allegedly shot from a handgun several rounds at police during a lengthy standoff. The situation involved hostage negotiators from the DeKalb County Special Operations Team.

“The sole occupant of the vehicle remained armed with a handgun, and negotiations continued with an attempt for him to surrender,” according to the release. “The suspect then suddenly pointed the gun at police and fired several rounds toward them, at which time police returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect.”

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The vehicles involved in fatal police shooting remain in place Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, on Rich Road just west of Nelson Road in DeKalb Township as DeKalb County sheriff's deputies and law enforcement authorities continue to investigate. A man was shot and killed by police after an hours-long standoff involving a hostage. The man allegedly fired multiple rounds at officers, who returned fire, authorities said. (Mark Busch)

Authorities worked for hours to temporarily close a portion of Rich Road in unincorporated DeKalb, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office announced. Authorities didn’t say how long the road would be closed Wednesday.

A heavy police presence remained in the area just north of the city of DeKalb as of 9:30 a.m., almost 10 hours after the events began.

The chaos unfolded in DeKalb late Tuesday with a police chase that started in Rockford, Sullivan said. Area law enforcement agencies were notified about 11 p.m. by Rockford authorities that a vehicle with a man wanted in connection with a Rockford shooting was headed south by car into DeKalb County.

Officials with the Rockford Police Department did not respond to request for comment.

The man’s vehicle was registered to an address on the south side of the city of DeKalb, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Local agencies pursued and eventually found the vehicle about 11:45 p.m. via traffic cameras at Peace Road and Mercantile Drive. Deputies saw the vehicle as it pulled in front of the residence that the car was registered to in DeKalb, according to the release.

Deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop to pull the vehicle over, Sullivan said. They were unsuccessful, and the driver headed through the city down Annie Glidden Road with the hostage still in the vehicle.

Deputies used stop sticks – tools used by police on the road to deflate vehicle tires – and the vehicle’s tires deflated, coming to a stop about 12:30 a.m. on Rich Road west of Nelson Road, surrounded by farm fields. Deputies said the man was armed with a handgun, according to the release.

Negotiators and the county’s SWAT team was called in immediately, arrived about 1:15 a.m. and began trying to contact the man holed up inside the vehicle, Sullivan said.

The man did not release the hostage until about 4:30 a.m., Sullivan said. The shooting happened shortly after.

“Negotiations lasted for several hours, with the hostage ultimately being released unharmed,” according to the release. “The sole occupant of the vehicle remained armed with a handgun, and negotiations continued with an attempt for him to surrender.”

Sullivan said his office has contacted the Illinois State Police and the DeKalb County State Attorney’s Office to conduct an outside independent investigation into the police shooting.

DeKalb County State’s Attorney Rick Amato said it is common practice for his office to review area law enforcement agencies’ use of force protocols when police are involved in a shooting. Amato’s office then determines whether a police officer’s use of force was justified in shootings such as this one.

He said he’s been working with the sheriff’s office since early Wednesday.

“The investigative work is turned over to the Illinois State Police, and then we work alongside the Illinois State Police in maintaining the investigation until conclusion, and then the case is given over to our office to review for charges or no charges, depending on the outcome of the investigation,” Amato said.

Details from the police investigations are not made public until they’re complete, Amato said.