Body Cam Video Released: Joliet Gunman Killed By Police Was On PCP, Task Force Says

JOLIET, IL — The Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force said its investigation into the deadly shooting of 28-year-old criminal suspect Victor Harris by Joliet police officers Hawk Haiduke and Jason Banning back in July appears to be a justified use of deadly force.

Plainfield police commander Kevin McQuaid, spokesman for the task force, told Joliet Patch that investigators also interviewed several eyewitnesses who saw Harris shooting his gun in an east-side neighborhood. Minutes later, Harris was shot while running through Bennett Avenue, while still holding his gun on July 17, by Officers Haiduke and Banning.

Harris died the following the day.

McQuaid said the toxicology reports showed Harris was under the influence of PCP, plus marijuana, at the time of his death.

The Joliet police officers, riding together in an unmarked police car, were responding to the gunshots fired incident around Elmwood Avenue when they encountered the shooting suspect, Harris, running toward them in the middle of the street, clutching his gun.

Because Harris refused to put down his gun as the Joliet police officers ordered him to do, they shot him, according to McQuaid's investigation.

After Harris was shot, the officers discovered that the magazine for Harris' gun was missing. However, McQuaid said the magazine was later located in the neighborhood; Harris, for unknown reasons, had discarded it as he tried running from the first shooting.

In late December, Joliet Patch used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the body camera videos from the two Joliet police officers who shot Harris. The two officers were riding together in an unmarked squad that was not equipped with a dash camera.

The actual shooting of Harris was not captured on the body camera footage of Banning and Haiduke because Banning took cover behind his passenger side door as he fired several gunshots at Harris from about 30 feet away. In his case, Haiduke had tried to activate his body camera in the moments leading up to the shooting, but his body camera was still loading when he and Banning suddenly found themselves confronted by Harris, according to McQuaid.

Haiduke's body camera went live within seconds of shooting Harris, as he and his partner raced to check on Harris, who fell to the street and was still breathing, with his gun at his side.

According to McQuaid, there was nothing improper at all about Haiduke's body camera not being in a position to capture the shooting.

He said it's quite common for officers to keep their body worn cameras off during uneventful times of their work shifts to preserve the battery.

In any event, McQuaid said the task force has completed its investigation into the Harris shooting, and the case has been turned over to the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow for final review.

The task force anticipates the Will County's prosecutors will agree that Haiduke and Banning should not face any charges in connection with their deadly shooting.

CONTENT WARNING: This video contains graphic and disturbing content.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Suspect Dies After 2 Joliet Police Shoot Him In Street: English

Joliet Police Shooting Of Man With Gun 'Totally Justified': Source