Man Fired Gun Into Air, Claimed Mother Was Dead: Police

McHENRY, IL —Police responded Friday afternoon to a report of a disturbance and possible shots fired at a home in McHenry, where a 40-year-old man told police he had fired a handgun into the air and claimed his mother had been killed, authorities said.

Officers were called to a residence in the 3200 block of Hunter Path at about 4:15 p.m. When they arrived, the man remained inside the home and initially refused to come outside, according to a news release from the McHenry Police Department.

The McHenry Police Department, assisted by the McHenry County Sheriff's Office, established a perimeter around the residence and made contact with the man. A preliminary investigation indicated he may have been experiencing a mental health crisis, police said.

Officers were initially unable to determine whether anyone else was inside the home or whether anyone needed medical attention. After about two hours, the man voluntarily left the residence and was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital for treatment.

Police recovered a handgun at the scene and placed it into evidence.

Based on information that additional armed people might be inside the residence, McHenry police requested assistance from the Emergency Services Team of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System, or NIPAS, to conduct a search of the home.

NIPAS is a mutual-aid organization made up of suburban municipal police departments. Police said the information about additional armed people inside the residence ultimately proved to be false.

The investigation remains ongoing, and criminal charges are possible, police said.

Anyone with information can contact the McHenry Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at 815-363-2599. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the McHenry Police Tip Line at 815-363-2124. Caller ID is not used on the tip line, police said.