Police: Teen shot by Aurora officer refused to drop gun

An off-duty Aurora police officer with a passenger in his personal vehicle had to make a life-or death decision Friday afternoon when he saw a boy shooting at a crowd of teens, authorities said.

The officer made his decision when the 15-year-old refused to drop his gun, police said. The officer fired. His shots struck the suspect several times. The suspect later was pronounced dead at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, according to police.

“It's very difficult for any officer, whether you're alone or with other people,” Aurora police Lt. Pete Inda said. “It's a life or death situation that police deal with every day both on duty and off-duty, as we've seen here.”

The 15-year-old, along with two 13-year-old Aurora boys, apparently became involved in an altercation with at least four other Aurora boys, ages 12, 13 and two 14-year-olds, police said.

During the 3:30 p.m. altercation near Fifth Street and South Avenue on the city's near southeast side, the suspect pulled a handgun and fired at least twice at the other boys, according to police.

“We have not located anyone who was injured by those initial shots,” Inda said.

The 43-year-old officer, an 11-year veteran of the Aurora force, works as a patrol officer on the day shift from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. He may have recently gotten off work when he drove past the scene, Inda said.

When he saw the shooting, the officer exited his car, identified himself and ordered the youth several times to drop his gun, police said.

The teen did not drop the gun, but instead pointed it at the officer, causing the officer to fire, Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said in a statement.

Officers recovered the 15-year-old's gun at the scene and Inda said police are looking for more physical evidence, other witnesses or any video accounts of what happened. Authorities have interviewed about 10 witnesses as part of an investigation conducted by the department's Investigative Deadly Force Team.

No criminal charges have been filed against the 15-year-old suspect or any of the other juveniles at the scene. Officers are still investigating whether any of the juveniles have gang affiliations, Inda said.

The Kane County Coroner's Office is handling an autopsy for the teen, but Inda said he was unsure when it would occur. The coroner's office did not return calls seeking information Saturday.

The officer will be reassigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the internal investigation. This is standard procedure after any officer-involved shooting, Ferrelli said.