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East Peoria officers responded to a disturbance at 116 Sun Valley Court shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday. The call involved a man waving a knife and sword and saying he was going to kill someone.
Police shot and killed the man, who was identified by Peoria County coroner Johnna Ingersoll as Samuel Craft, 48.
Ingersoll said Craft was pronounced dead at 8 p.m. in the emergency room at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Ingersoll said Kraft died of three gunshot wounds to the head, arm and abdomen.
East Peoria police Chief Ed Papis, who returned from vacation yesterday afternoon, said when police arrived at the scene, Craft would not follow any commands to drop his weapons.
"The officers were in an untenable situation," Papis said, adding police had to engage the individual, which "necessitated shots being fired."
Papis said three shots were fired.
"The officer ordered Mr. Craft to drop his weapons. He ignored several commands and kept walking at the officers with the knife and sword in his hands. The officers retreated backward in the parking lot. Mr. Craft kept ignoring commands to drop the weapons and kept closing in on the officers. Mr. Craft picked up his pace, kept swearing at the officers and entered a very dangerous threshold with them estimated to be within 10 feet," Papis said at a press conference this afternoon. "The officers used great restraint but were forced to neutralize this life threatening situation to themselves. Three shots were fired and the threat was neutralized."
This morning, Illinois State Police were at the East Peoria Police Department investigating the incident. Papis said they are called in as a neutral party.
"As per protocol, state police criminal investigation division was called and arrived on scene to take over the situation," Papis said.
Officers involved in the incident — Papis declined to say how many — were placed an administrative leave until further notice.
Papis said the department will also have a debriefing with a crisis intervention team.
"We sympathize with Mr. Craft’s family but he forced our officers to respond with deadly force. I commend our officers for using restraint as long as they did. This investigation is being handled by the Criminal Investigators of the Illinois State Police. All preliminary findings thus far indicate no wrong doing by our officers. State’s Attorney Umholtz will review the final report and render his findings in the very near future," Papis said.
East Peoria officers responded to a disturbance at 116 Sun Valley Court shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday. The call involved a man waving a knife and sword and saying he was going to kill someone.
Police shot and killed the man, who was identified by Peoria County coroner Johnna Ingersoll as Samuel Craft, 48.
Ingersoll said Craft was pronounced dead at 8 p.m. in the emergency room at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Ingersoll said Kraft died of three gunshot wounds to the head, arm and abdomen.
East Peoria police Chief Ed Papis, who returned from vacation yesterday afternoon, said when police arrived at the scene, Craft would not follow any commands to drop his weapons.
"The officers were in an untenable situation," Papis said, adding police had to engage the individual, which "necessitated shots being fired."
Papis said three shots were fired.
"The officer ordered Mr. Craft to drop his weapons. He ignored several commands and kept walking at the officers with the knife and sword in his hands. The officers retreated backward in the parking lot. Mr. Craft kept ignoring commands to drop the weapons and kept closing in on the officers. Mr. Craft picked up his pace, kept swearing at the officers and entered a very dangerous threshold with them estimated to be within 10 feet," Papis said at a press conference this afternoon. "The officers used great restraint but were forced to neutralize this life threatening situation to themselves. Three shots were fired and the threat was neutralized."
This morning, Illinois State Police were at the East Peoria Police Department investigating the incident. Papis said they are called in as a neutral party.
"As per protocol, state police criminal investigation division was called and arrived on scene to take over the situation," Papis said.
Officers involved in the incident — Papis declined to say how many — were placed an administrative leave until further notice.
Papis said the department will also have a debriefing with a crisis intervention team.
"We sympathize with Mr. Craft’s family but he forced our officers to respond with deadly force. I commend our officers for using restraint as long as they did. This investigation is being handled by the Criminal Investigators of the Illinois State Police. All preliminary findings thus far indicate no wrong doing by our officers. State’s Attorney Umholtz will review the final report and render his findings in the very near future," Papis said.
