Veteran Elgin Cop Shot Woman Following I-90 Standoff: Police

ELGIN, IL – Authorities have identified the 34-year-old woman killed in an officer-involved shooting Monday morning on Interstate 90 as Decynthia S. Clements of Elgin. Becky Schlikerman, public information officer for the medical examiner's office, told Patch in an e-mail that an autopsy will likely take place Tuesday. Meanwhile, authorities identified the officer involved in the shooting as Lt. Christian Jensen, a 19-year Elgin Police Department veteran and current SWAT team member.

Jensen, police said, has received 22 commendations or awards between the years of 2002 to 2017, including the 2014 Manager of the Year. The Illinois State Police is investigating his role in the shooting.

The shooting occurred along Interstate 90 early Monday after police first allegedly made contact with Clements at about 12:34 a.m. when they spotted her in a "suspicious vehicle" in the area of Cedar Avenue in Elgin. She then fled the scene, Elgin Police Department Chief Jeffrey Swoboda said in a press conference.

Officers attempted to get her to stop her vehicle, but eventually ended their chase. A short time later, officers spotted the vehicle on westbound Interstate 90 near Route 25. It had "obvious damage," Swoboda said.

• WATCH: Press Conference On Elgin Officer-Involved Shooting
  

Officers made contact with the woman and saw she was armed with a knife. They then "disengaged from the vehicle" and attempted to negotiate with the woman for more than an hour.

During that time, the woman periodically moved her car several feet, Swoboda said. When officers noticed a fire that had started inside the vehicle, they approached it to rescue the woman.

"There was an exchange, which we are still investigating, during which the officer discharged their weapon," Swoboda said.

The woman was taken to St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates, where she was pronounced dead.

The Illinois State Police will be handling the officer-involved shooting part of the investigation, police said. And the officer involved in the shooting is on administrative leave– which is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings, according to the Daily Herald.

“I wish to express our condolences to the family,” Swoboda said. “We are all very saddened by this incident.”

The shooting closed westbound I-90 for several hours. As of 9 a.m., the roadway had reopened.

This is a developing story. Patch will update with more information as it becomes available.