Internal probe finds cop’s actions justified in fatal shooting of sword-wielding DeKalb man

DeKALB – A cop who fatally shot a 33-year-old DeKalb man wielding a sword during a standoff with police last fall won’t face criminal charges, police announced Friday.

An internal investigation found the officer, identified in a news release Friday as officer Brian Bollow, did not violate any department regulations in shooting Kristopher M. Kramer days before Halloween, police said. Bollow has been on desk duty since the shooting, according to a news release from the department.

“It was determined that officer Bollow was justified in the use of deadly force based upon a reasonable belief that it was necessary to prevent death and great bodily harm to himself and fellow officers present,” according to the release.

Kramer, 33, of the 100 block of Tilton Park Drive in DeKalb, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to Kramer’s death certificate from the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd said Friday that Bollow has not yet returned to full duty, but he is expected to soon.

“Someone losing their life at the end of the day is not the outcome you ever want,” Byrd said. “We tried to de-escalate the situation to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, Mr. Kramer’s actions caused our reaction.

“I can only commend my officers for using the training that they have and using it appropriately. Despite the terrible outcome, they followed the rules of engagement for the department, their policies and the laws of the state of Illinois.”

It’s been six months since the fatal shooting, which happened about 3 a.m. Oct. 25 outside Kramer’s home.

In a news release Friday, police maintained a narrative they’ve held since October: that deadly use of force was warranted because Kramer brandished a 3-foot sword at officers and refused attempts by officers at the scene to de-escalate the situation.

The DeKalb Police Department also released video of the shooting for the first time, which was produced to sync up body camera footage with a Facebook Live video that Kramer had recorded from inside his home.

DeKalb County State’s Attorney Rick Amato, who’s office received the findings of an Illinois State Police investigation Feb. 10, decided not to bring charges against Bollow.

“After a review of all the materials provided and discussions with the Illinois State Police investigators assigned to this investigation, I have concluded that no criminal charges are warranted against officer Brian Bollow in this matter,” Amato said in a letter to state police.

In the six-page document Amato sent to state police March 30 – which the Daily Chronicle obtained in response to a FOIA request – the state’s attorney said he reviewed all police reports from the incident. Materials also included crime scene investigation reports, laboratory forensic reports, physical evidence, field notes, autopsy records, photographs and reports from dispatch and the DeKalb Fire Department. This included reports from paramedics who took Kramer to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, where he later was pronounced dead.

Amato said state police findings along with eyewitness statements from the nine officers who responded to the incident show that Bollow’s actions were justified.

A body camera video DeKalb police released Friday shows officer Josef Gordon tried to negotiate with Kramer, who refused to come out of his home for at least 15 minutes.

According to police narrative, officers asked Kramer to put the sword down more than eight times, and he refused. Police searched Kramer’s home after the shooting and found a suicide note left by Kramer, along with a knife, according to police narrative. Citing the note, authorities said that Kramer wasn’t willing to go to jail for threatening the woman inside the home.

Byrd said Gordon also had undergone crisis intervention training to learn negotiation tactics. Police had received a 911 call from a woman inside the home about 2:30 a.m., during which the woman said that Kramer had been drinking, had cut his wrists multiple times and had threatened to kill her and attack police.

An officer responding to the call saw the woman had suffered cuts on her hands and arms, which she said was from trying to stop Kramer from cutting himself, according to Amato’s letter. The woman told police Kramer also pulled her hair.

At one point, Kramer – who was streaming the incident on social media – opened the door of his house and told police to “get the [expletive] away from my house.”

A police officer responded: “I just told you we’re not till we check on you cause she claims that you hurt yourself. We gotta make sure that you’re OK.”

The video then switches back to the perspective of Gordon’s body camera, where Kramer is seen standing inside his screen door looking at officers.

Gordon said, “You can stop with that, man, we gotta make sure ...” and he is interrupted by Kramer, who said, “I will come out here and [expletive] attack you with it.”

Gordon then said, “You’re not even there with it, man.”

Kramer is then seen opening the door to his home, wielding the sword in both hands above his head and right shoulder and saying, “Wanna [expletive] bet?”

He appears to walk a few steps toward the officers. Several officers can be heard shouting “Stop,” and “Put it down,” and Gordon says, “I wouldn’t do that.”

Shots ring out, and Kramer then shouts as he’s hit, falling to the ground. Officers move quickly toward him, while Gordon instructs them to place handcuffs on Kramer first. The video at that point blurs out Kramer’s face as he lies bleeding on the grass outside his home. Officers turn him over onto his stomach. Another says, “Somebody get a med kit.”

Kramer can be heard in the video cursing at officers. DeKalb police said paramedics arrived within a minute of the shooting.

Police said three weapons were fired simultaneously at Kramer by three separate officers: a stun gun, a bean-bag projectile weapon and a police gun. Released video does not show the perspective of each weapon being fired, although squad car camera footage shows at least one other perspective of the shooting.

In Amato’s letter to state police, the state’s attorney said officer Sonny Streit fired a stun gun taser at Kramer, and officer Justin Donahue fired the bean-bag rifle.

“Kramer had several times expressed his intentions to attack the police and harm [a woman in the home],” Amato said in his letter detailing his decision. “Kramer had self-inflicted wounds and had in fact harmed [a woman in the house]. Kramer was not cooperative at all with requests to not have a weapon, nor would he engage in extended conversation.”

Byrd said he’s spoken with Kramer’s parents.

“They already know this, but they have my heartfelt condolences on the loss of their son, and I know that the collateral damage of an incident like this doesn’t just affect the Kramer family, but there’s collateral damage on the officer’s side as well,” Byrd said. “There’s a lot of pain. It’s traumatic on both sides.”