Video Shows Fatal Police Shooting Of Warrenville Man On I-88

WARRENVILLE, IL — Illinois State Police (ISP) have released footage from a fatal officer-involved shooting of a Warrenville man on April 27.

Police said Joseph Moreno, 36, of Warrenville, had been reported missing and was experiencing a mental health crisis when officers spotted his car near the intersection of I-59 and North Aurora Road in Dekalb County around 3 p.m.

Subscribe

ISP reports that Moreno held a gun out of his car window before driving away.

Officers from the Warrenville Police Department and other nearby agencies pursued Moreno west on I-88 for about 20 minutes, per a news release from ISP.

Police say Moreno stopped the car near Kinslinger Road, fire one shot and then got out of his car while holding a gun.

According to ISP, an officer fired two shots that hit Moreno. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Dashcam footage of the officer-involved shooting begins with officers in a squad car behind Moreno, who appears to be holding a gun out of the driver's side of his car. The officers shout for Moreno to "drop the gun" before he begins to drive away.

The video resumes after a pause with a note that police pursued Moreno for more than 20 minutes while he drove erratically.

One officer says, "Give him some space here, he's reaching" as Moreno's car begins to roll to a slow stop on the shoulder of the road, re-enters the roadway, then returns to the shoulder before getting back onto the highway and speeding off.

A few minutes later, Moreno's car can be seen coming to a stop.

An officer exits the squad car and shouts, "Shots fired. Shots fired. Drop the gun. He already shot once. Drop the gun," as Moreno starts to exit his car, appearing to hold a gun in the air his right hand with the barrel pointing upward.

Moreno leans his right hand through his car window, with the gun still in his right hand and the barrel still facing in the opposite direction of the squad car as the officer fires a shot.

Police continue to shout "Drop the gun" and "Put the gun down."

Moreno appears to move the gun near the right side of his head briefly when an officer fires a second shot.

Moreno then appears to move the gun to his left hand, holds it up briefly to his side with the barrel in his hand, then closes his car door.

"Drop the gun," an officer shouts, as Moreno leans his head against the hood of his car.

"He's still got the gun in his hand," the officer shouts, to which another officer replies, "I see it."

"Send an ambulance this way," an officer says. "We've got two shots on him at least. He's still up."

"He's hit," an officer shouts.

"He's hit, but he's still got the gun in his hand," the officer shouts. "Hey partner, come on, drop the gun," he shouts to Moreno.

The officer tells Moreno to stand up and says "Drop the gun, man, we want to help you."

At one point, an officer can be heard telling other officers to get a bean bag gun.

"Put the gun down. Bean bag. Bean bag," the officer shouts.

It appears Moreno is hit in the right leg with a bean bag.

"There we go," one officer says.

"Hold on. Hold on," another officer says. He asks, "See the gun?"

ISP also shared footage from the body camera worn by the officer who fired the shots.

Moreno is not visible to the viewer when the officer fires the shots, as the camera is partially blocked by the door of the squad car.

"Drop the gun. He already shot once. Drop the gun," the officer yells before firing the first shot. Seconds later, he yells, "Drop —" then fires the second shot.

According to ISP, the footage was shared with Moreno's family before it was released.

The incident is still being investigated by the DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office.