Nov. 12--The Highland Park police officers who fatally shot a man at NorthShore Highland Park Hospital last week were justified in their actions, authorities announced Tuesday.
Christopher Anderson, 27, of Waukegan, was killed Nov. 3 after he drew a gun from his waistband and refused to put it down, authorities said.
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim called the officers' actions "reasonable and appropriate," according to a release from Highland Park. Nerheim's office reviewed the case after an investigation by the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force.
Anderson and his daughter, 9, had been taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a car they were riding in was involved in a crash on the Edens Expressway about 11 p.m. Nov. 2, police have said. The driver was charged with DUI and other offenses, according to authorities.
About 2 1/2 hours later, four Highland Park officers, who have not been identified, were dispatched to the hospital for a report of an aggressive patient, according to the news release and police Chief Paul Shafer. Staff members had asked Anderson to change into a hospital gown; he didn't comply and became "increasingly agitated" before drawing the weapon, the release said.
Investigators would later determine the handgun had been reported stolen in Waukegan.
Witnesses said they heard police for more than 45 seconds command Anderson to drop the weapon.
"When Mr. Anderson refused ... officers were left with no alternative but to stop him," the release said.
Two Highland Park police officers fired nine rounds in about 1.7 seconds, hitting him "multiple times," Shafer and the news release said. Emergency room staff tried to save Anderson's life, but he was pronounced dead at 1:46 a.m.
Shafer said the question of how Anderson was able to bring the gun into the hospital was not part of the investigation. The news release noted that Highland Park police did not respond to the car crash and were not involved in transporting or admitting Anderson to the hospital.
A separate statement from the hospital did not address the matter but said in part that "the lives of our care team and patients were threatened." The statement also cited safety as the hospital's "top priority." The release said the hospital would provide no further statements about the shooting.
Shafer said Anderson had argued with hospital staff over the treatment of his daughter, who was being assessed for a head injury.
"He was upset with everything," Shafer said.
Shafer said the two police officers involved in the shooting were placed on leave last week but have since returned to duty. He said it was a traumatizing experience for the hospital staff and the police officers.
Anderson's mother, Venus Anderson, declined to comment on the investigation's findings Tuesday. Anderson's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Waukegan.
After his death, relatives and friends described Anderson as a loving father of two and a welder by trade who had attended Waukegan High School.
Lake County court records point to a troubled past. Anderson was convicted of attempted unlawful possession of cocaine this year, and Lake County probation officials said in a bond report that he had "a significant criminal background with a history of failing to appear to court."
He had also been convicted in recent years of aggravated battery, resisting or obstructing a police officer and burglary, among other crimes. He was convicted in 2010 of escaping from Lake County Jail and sentenced to five years in prison. State prison records show he was paroled in May.
Anderson was also considered a suspect in a July hit-and-run accident in Waukegan, said Waukegan police Cmdr. Joe Florip.
Tribune reporter Dan Hinkel contributed.
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