Man slain by Crest Hill police sergeant did not stab officer

A man shot to death by police did not stab a responding Crest Hill police officer in the leg as the law initially reported.

The wounded officer was actually shot in the leg by a police sergeant, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force.

Task force officials said it was initially reported to them that Matthew Parks, 30, of Crest Hill had slashed an officer’s femoral artery during a chaotic March 14 incident at a Pioneer Road apartment complex.

“That information was incorrect, and interviews and evidence obtained throughout this investigation have indicated that the officer’s injury was due to gunfire,” the task force statement said.

A Crest Hill police sergeant fired a round that severed an artery in the officer’s leg, according to the task force, and Parks was shot to death after he approached the sergeant with a knife.

“Two of the responding officers on scene performed life saving measures on the injured officer’s leg, by applying a tourniquet in order to control the bleeding,” according to the task force.

The officer who was shot in the leg was hospitalized for treatment and has since been released, the task force statement said.

The investigation remains active, according to the task force.

“Upon completion of the investigation, the WGMCTF findings will be handed over to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office to make a final determination of the officer’s use of deadly force,” the statement said.

The statement was provided Wednesday “in an on-going effort to be transparent and to provide a status update in regards to ongoing investigations,” according to the task force.

“As in all police investigations, initial information obtained the day of the incident may change as the investigation progresses,” the statement said.