Police Fatally Shoot Man With Gun To His Head In North Aurora

NORTH AURORA, IL — A man who claimed he was going to shoot himself or someone else is dead after police shot him late Wednesday in North Aurora, police said. A North Police Department officer fired one round at the 54-year-old man who was allegedly holding a gun to his head and walking toward the open garage door of an occupied home in the 600 block of Birchwood Drive when the officer shot him, according to a news release from the North Aurora Police Department.

The man later died at a local hospital, authorities said. The North Aurora police officer who fired the fatal shot is a 13-year veteran of the department and has been placed on paid administrative leave as the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force investigates the shooting, authorities said.

The North Aurora Police Department was first called to the area on Birchwood Drive at about 11:17 p.m. for a report of a suicidal subject. They were told the man was driving a gold Lincoln Navigator and was believed to be armed with a handgun, according to authorities.

Police tracked down the man's vehicle driving in the area of Timber Oaks Drive and Eastview Road around 11:37 p.m. and attempted to pull him over. He did not stop until he pulled into his driveway in the 600 block of Birchwood Drive, according to authorities.

At that point, the man got out of his vehicle while holding a gun to his head and began walking toward the occupied home, ignoring multiple commands by police to stop, authorities said.

"Fearing for the safety of the individuals in the house, an officer fired one round, striking the suspect, who fell to the ground," according to a news release from the North Aurora Police Department.

Officers began life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived and transported the man to AMITA Health Mercy Medical Center in Aurora. The man was pronounced dead at 12:35 a.m. at the hospital, according to the news release.

Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene. The shooting remains under investigation.

Patch will update with more information as it becomes available.