Des Plaines police shoot, kill man while responding to mental health crisis
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Police said a man died after an officer fired shots in northwest suburban Des Plaines Wednesday night.
Police were called to a unit in an apartment complex, at 1477 Thatcher St., for a man having a possible mental health crisis.
CBS 2's Asal Rezaei reports, according to police, the man inside was breaking items and was armed with something similar to an axe or machete.
Des Plaines Officers went to the apartment complex after calls from paramedics.
Police said the situation quickly escalated and a 55-year-old man, identified as Scott MacDonald, "unexpectedly" appeared in a common hallway.
They say he was armed with an axe and was approaching officers in a threatening manner in close proximity at the time of the shooting, as confirmed through body-camera footage.
MacDonald was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
The officer who fired the shots has been with the department just over two years, police said. He was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
