No Charges For Aurora Cops Who Fatally Shot Man In March 2025: Mosser

AURORA, IL — The Aurora police officers who fatally shot a 19-year-old man in March 2025 will not face any charges, Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said.

Christopher Lepe, of Aurora, was killed March 19 by two officers near South Broadway and Hazel Avenue in Aurora following a car chase at the end of which the teenager displayed what appeared to be a rifle.

"In conducting this review, my office thoroughly examined all available body-worn camera footage, squad vehicle camera footage, and other evidence," Mosser said in a statement. "It is clear to me that the officers here had reasonable belief that their use of force was necessary to protect themselves and others from great harm. The officers had no way of knowing the realistic-looking rifle Mr. Lepe armed himself with and pointed at them was not real. My condolences go out to his family for their tragic loss."

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Around 1:30 a.m. that Wednesday, a Geneva police officer found a suspicious car in the 1500 block of South Randall Road that he believed was connected to reports of windows being shot by a BB gun in Geneva, Aurora, North Aurora and St. Charles. Lepe was behind the wheel, had an open bottle of alcohol in the car and exhibited slurred speech, the Kane County State's Attorney shared Friday.

"The officer ordered Lepe to exit the vehicle, and when Lepe moved to drive away, the officer attempted to grasp the steering wheel and depress the brake pedal," the release reads. "Lepe took off, and the officer was flung from the vehicle, suffering a complete fracture to his kneecap."

Lepe sped away and blew through several stop signs, and the pursuit ended when police deployed spike strips at the intersection of Broadway and Hazel Avenue in Aurora, Mosser said.

Two Aurora squad cars and two Kane County sheriff patrol vehicles surrounded Lepe's car. After officers gave Lepe verbal commands to put his hands up and get on the ground, Lepe got out of the car "brandishing what appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle," which later turned out to be an air gun that he pointed directly at an Aurora officer at one point, Mosser said.

Two Aurora police officers fired several rounds, striking Lepe multiple times. Mosser said officers rendered aid once they determined Lepe was no longer a danger, and he was later pronounced dead at Rush Copley Medical Center.

The Kane County Coroner's Office determined Lepe's cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds. Toxicology reports showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.125 and the presence of cannabis in his system.

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"Based upon a review of the investigation and all evidence obtained, the Kane County State’s Attorney's Office believes that the two Aurora police officers who fired shots at Christopher Lepe had a reasonable belief that the deadly force they employed was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to themselves or other individuals," the state's attorney's office wrote in the release. "The Kane County Sheriff's deputies did not fire their weapons during this incident. There is no evidence or indication that any police officer committed any unlawful acts."