Joliet Cops Shoot Man Who Pointed Two Guns At Them
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Joliet police officers shot and critically wounded a man who allegedly confronted them with a pair of rifles Tuesday night.
Police responded to a report of a domestic battery in the 2400 block of Rockwood Drive shortly before 8 p.m. A woman told police her husband was heavily armed, and had attacked her inside the house.
When officers arrived, the woman met them outside, and told them her husband was inside, and heavily armed.
Police said the man confronted the officers, and pointed two semiautomatic rifles at them. The officers shot the man when he allegedly refused to drop the weapons.
"The officers encountered the subject pointing the weapons at them. Fearing for their lives they fired in retaliation towards the subject, who was armed and poised to shoot at the officers at the time," said Joliet Deputy Police Chief Edgar Gregory.
The man was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in critical condition.
His wife said he is a retired U.S. Marine gunnery sergeant. She told CBS 2 he snapped after drinking all day Tuesday, and attacked her and one of their three children.
When he went upstairs to get his guns, she and their children ran out of the house. Police showed up a short time later.
After police shot the man, his wife told officers there were more weapons inside the home, according to Gregory.
"At this time, we're getting a search warrant for the house, to go in and seek and see if there's any other weapons inside the residence, which we were told by the wife that there are multiple weapons still inside the residence," Gregory said. "We have recovered numerous handguns and a couple of rifles at this time already."
No one else in the home was injured.
Police said the suspect's wife and brother were cooperating with investigators.
The Will County State's Attorney's office was reviewing the case, and charges were pending against the suspect Wednesday morning.
The police officers have been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation of their actions.
It was the second police-involved shooting in Joliet this month.