Fatal Shooting Of Inmate During Delnor Standoff Ruled Justified

GENEVA, IL -- A North Aurora officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing for fatally shooting a Kane County inmate who was receiving treatment at Delnor Hospital in Geneva when he disarmed a correctional officer and took a nurse hostage in May 2017, Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said Thursday. The North Aurora Police Department officer, who was not identified and was acting as a member of the Kane County SWAT team when the fatal shooting occurred, fired his gun at Tyron Salters, 21, after entering a small room with other officers where the nurse was being held against her will. Prior to the shooting, authorities attempted to negotiate with Salters for hours before "a plan was formulated to breach the room from both of its entrances," according to the state's attorney's office news release.

Breach teams of multiple SWAT officers and medics were in place when a gunshot sounded from inside the room where Salters was holding the nurse, McMahon said.

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"Upon hearing the gunshot, members of the exterior team breached the door and observed Salters holding a handgun extended out and pointed in their direction with his right hand, while holding the nurse as a shield with his left arm around her neck and chest," according to the news release.

The North Aurora officer fire three shots at Salters. The nurse was taken from the room and Salters was pronounced dead at 4:07 p.m.

In reviewing the case, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office determined the SWAT officer's use of force was justified and that there was "reasonable belief on the part of the officer that it was necessary to use force intended to cause death or great bodily harm, to prevent death or great bodily harm to the officer, nurse and other responding officers." McMahon said in the news release that there was "no evidence of any criminal actions on the part of any other officer or individual involved, other than the deceased, Tywon Salters, who cannot be prosecuted."

Prior to the shooting, Salters had been an inmate at the Kane County Adult Justice Center. While incarcerated, he ingested a foreign object and was transferred to Delnor Hospital for treatment. He had been recovering from surgery in a room on an inpatient floor at the hospital from May 8 to May 13.

On May 13, Salters attacked and forcibly disarmed the Kane County correctional officer who was assigned to guard him, authorities said. He used that handgun to threaten a nurse and then take a second nurse hostage. Law enforcement from multiple local jurisdictions responded to the incident.

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