Police cleared in fatal shooting of chain saw-wielding man at senior home

St. Charles police have been cleared of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a man who invaded a retirement home while waving a chain saw.

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced Tuesday she will not pursue criminal charges in relation to the Dec. 1, 2024, death of 41-year-old Daniel H. Escalera of Indiana.

Illinois State Police investigated the shooting and have released a video of it.

According to Mosser’s press release, someone called 911 to report a man entering the River Glen senior living facility at 8:45 a.m. that Sunday morning. The first officer to arrive found Escalera inside, at the doorway to the cafeteria, near multiple residents.

The officer told Escalera to drop the chain saw, but Escalera entered the cafeteria and started the chain saw.

The officer then shocked Escalera with a stun gun. Escalera was knocked down, got back up, took hold of the chain saw and ran at the officer. The officer retreated to the lobby, was joined by another officer and returned to the cafeteria, according to the release.

Escalera went into the lobby, held the chain saw over his head and ran toward an officer. The officer shot at Escalera twice but missed him.

Escalera then collided with the officer, hit him with the chain saw, and then dropped it.

The officer fired again as Escalera went down a hallway, hitting him in the left forearm, according to the press release.

Escalera then stopped next to a resident in a wheelchair, turned toward officers, and held his hands forward in a position that appeared to imitate holding a firearm. The officer shot him in the chest.

The Kane County coroner determined Escalera had methamphetamine, amphetamines, and olanzapine, also known by the brand name Zyprexa, which most commonly treats schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in his blood.

Escalera’s family was given the opportunity to review the video before it was made public.

“I am very proud of how our Officers responded to this incident,” Eric Majewski, the acting police chief for St. Charles, said in a written statement “They were confronted with a fast-paced situation in which they attempted all means of de-escalation to protect the elderly residents and themselves that had been placed in immediate harm’s way.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250318/crime/police-cleared-in-fatal-shooting-of-chainsaw-wielding-man-at-senior-home/