Aug. 29--Police officers shot an armed man early Saturday in west suburban Oswego after he allegedly raised his rifle at the officers.
About 12:16 a.m. Saturday, Oswego police received a call from a man saying a "massacre" would occur in Oswego and he was going to shoot himself on the street, according to a news release from the Oswego Police Department.
After the call was disconnected, police called back and said they would send someone to talk to the man -- and the man responded by saying he would shoot them as well, the release said. Police were able to find out the man's location and sent officers to the first block of Ashlawn Avenue about 12:18 a.m.
The call was again disconnected and police again called back, with the caller stating that he did have a gun, the release said.
Once officers arrived in the area, they saw a man who raised a rifle toward them, police said. The man did not follow police orders and two officers, "fearing for their safety," fired shots, striking the man, the release said.
The man, 24, was hit in the chest and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery and is recovering, according to the release. The man was not officially identified in the release.
One of the two officers who fired shots is an 18-year veteran, and the second officer is a nine-year veteran. Both were not injured in the incident, although they underwent examination at an area hospital, the release said.
The incident is still under investigation by Oswego police. The Illinois State Police opened an independent investigation into the incident as well.
Police officials said charges have not been filed as of Saturday morning.
"I currently have no estimate on when that could be," Oswego Police Department spokeswoman Cathy Nevara said.
Michael Johnson said he was sitting on a porch with friends at a house near Lombardy Lane and Ashlawn Avenue early Saturday morning when the police arrived.
Johnson told the Beacon-News that officers set up across the street from the home where the shooting occurred and ordered the man to "freeze." Johnson said he heard eight to nine shots.
Oswego police officials would not say how many shots were fired, referring all questions to the Illinois State Police. State police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
When Johnson learned that the alleged gunman had warned police about a "massacre," he wondered what would have happened without quick response from the police.
"That could have been us; they could have saved us," Johnson said Saturday morning.
Resident Sharon Huston said she had been in the neighborhood for four years and this kind of activity is unusual.
"It's normally quiet," she said. "I think whoever this guy is, he just snapped off, I guess."
The Aurora and Montgomery police departments and the Kendall and Kane County sheriff's offices assisted Oswego officers on the initial call, Oswego officials said.
Those with more information on the incident are urged by police to call the Illinois State Police at (815-726-6377.
Tony Scott, a freelance reporter, contributed.
