Questions remain after man with knives is shot, critically wounded by Aurora police

A man who was shot by a police officer in suburban Aurora on Sunday remained in critical condition, but police have released few details about the incident. 

“This is a very unfortunate situation for everyone involved,” Aurora police Chief Keith Cross said at a news conference Monday morning. “My hope is that we all support one another and help each other get through this difficult situation that unfolded yesterday.”

Cross said the man who was shot after allegedly charging at officers while holding knives was still listed in critical condition at an area hospital, but he didn’t disclose the man’s age, how many times he had been struck or the kind of knives he was wielding.

Officers also used “less lethal options” to try and subdue the man, Cross said. He didn’t specify which options he was referring to, citing the ongoing investigation. 

Cross also said officers had previously been to the residence where the shooting occurred, but he didn’t disclose the nature of the previous police responses.

The incident unfolded about 10:30 a.m. when officers went to a home in the 900 block of Colorado Avenue after getting a 911 call of a family member armed with multiple knives and threatening other family members, Cross said.

When officers arrived, they found a man holding knives standing in the doorway of the home “threatening to kill everyone,” Cross said.

Officers made several efforts to de-escalate the situation, Cross said, and made multiple commands for the man to drop the knives. The man then “turned his attention to officers, threatening to kill them,” he said.

While some officers were working to evacuate family members from the home, the man left the doorway and confronted officers in the garage while still armed with the knives, Cross said.

The man ran at an officer who then opened fire, striking the man, Cross said, adding that the man “closed the distance very quickly.”

Officers rendered aid until paramedics arrived and took the man to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

The officer who fired his weapon was also taken to a hospital, per policy, but he was later released, Cross said. No other injuries were reported. All officers who responded to the incident have been placed on administrative leave, per policy.

The Kane County major crimes task force is handling the investigation.

“An officer-involved shooting is a traumatic incident for everyone involved,” Cross said. “Any time there is an incident of this nature we understand that everyone involved is personally impacted. We are providing support for our officers as well as the family of the subject.”