Police Fatally Shoot Armed Man In Buffalo Grove

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — An armed man was shot and killed by police during an early Thursday morning incident in the area of Radcliffe Road and Boxwood Lane, in a parking lot near a vacant church. The incident marks the first officer-involved shooting ever in Buffalo Grove, according to Police Chief Steven Casstevens.

Police released the name of the deceased on Thursday night. Brian Christopher Howard, 25, has a registered home address in Elgin, but has been residing with family in Buffalo Grove, according to police. During a press conference Thursday outside the police station, Casstevens said the only other prior interaction his department had with Howard was a 2017 impaired driving arrest.

Casstevens said a dashboard camera video, which includes audio, captured the entire incident and the footage will be released in the future. Buffalo Grove police don't currently wear body cameras.

When police arrived on the scene at around 12:30 a.m., Howard began to walk toward their vehicles, holding a handgun in each hand. He fired rounds from both of his weapons as he continued walking toward the police.

"We're not certain whether he just fired them into the air or in the direction of the officers," Casstevens said. "It was 12:30 in the morning, dark and in a not well-lit area."

Howard ignored continued commands to stop, according to police. At this time, one officer fired several rounds from his handgun. Those shots did not strike Howard. A second officer fired shots, which did strike him.

The officers immediately provided medical aid to Howard until the paramedics arrived, according to Casstevens. Paramedics continued to attempt life-saving efforts, but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Neither officer was injured in the incident and were taken to an area hospital for evaluation. They have been placed on leave, following the department protocol, until the conclusion of the investigation.

"We are in the early stages of this investigation," Casstevens said. "There are some facts we won't be able to release at this time."

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force is conducting the investigation.

Police were called to the address at around 12:30 a.m. following a 911 call regarding a man with a gun, according to Casstevens. The caller told dispatchers "there's a dude out there and he's acting all crazy" and that he's armed with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. He also told dispatchers, "the dude just popped off two rounds" and said the person was "dangerous."

Howard, the caller, eventually admitted he was the person with the guns. Casstevens said the dispatcher asked him to drop the guns and talk to officers on at least seven occasions, but Howard said he wouldn't comply.

Casstevens downplayed media reports the death was a "suicide by cop," saying it was too early in the investigation to conclude that, but didn't rule the possibility out.

Following the incident, police recovered the two handguns, both still loaded, and shell casings from each weapon at the scene.

"This entire situation progressed very quickly. I believe these officers did everything they're trained to do to avoid this type of outcome," Casstevens said.