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Authorities ID Carol Stream resident as man killed in confrontation with Bloomingdale police

Bloomingdale Director of Public Safety Frank Giammarese on Saturday identified the man killed in a confrontation Friday night with police as Julius Glover, 26, of Carol Stream.

Police say Glover was shot after exiting a stolen vehicle following a traffic stop on the 1900 block of Chippendale Lane in Glendale Heights when he moved toward officers rapidly while holding a knife in a threatening manner.

Giammarese said at a news conference that he believed police acted properly "from the facts I've heard," but that the investigation has been turned over to the DuPage County Major Crimes Task Force. The results will be reviewed by the DuPage County state's attorney's office, which will rule whether the shooting was justified.

He said he has talked to the family of the offender and expressed his sorrow over how the event concluded. "It's a sad day for everyone," he said. "We don't want to see anyone lose their lives."

He said he also is worried about the emotional impact on his officers, who were put in a situation where they had to make the decision to fire their weapons.

Giammarese outlined this sequence of events:

At 7:19 p.m., police received 911 calls that a man was acting erratically in the Walmart at 314 W. Army Trail Road. The man had taken car keys from a woman who was in the store with her small child, then when confronted by store employees had brandished a knife and fled. He located the woman's car in the parking lot, possibly by pressing the remote.

Officers saw the stolen car leaving the parking lot and followed it south on Schmale Road, east on Mill Pond Drive and then south on Chippendale Lane before it came to a stop less than a mile from the store and the man exited the car.

As officers gave commands, Glover brandished a knife, then faced officers and quickly moved toward them holding the knife in a threatening manner. Officers then shot Glover. They immediately administered first aid until arriving medical personnel took over. Glover was pronounced dead at the scene by Glenside Fire Protection District personnel and at Adventist Medical Center Glen Oaks.

Giammarese said his knowledge of specific details is limited because his department is not handling the investigation.

He said he didn't know how many shots were fired, how many officers fired their weapons or how many times Glover was struck. He said he didn't know if Glover has had prior encounters with police. He did say Bloomingdale police don't have body cameras and while some squad cars are equipped with cameras, none captured video of the shooting. He said there may be store video of what happened at Walmart.

He said about a half-dozen officers who were present at the shooting were being taken off active duty for the time being so they have time to recover from the trauma.

Neighbors Saturday morning said they had witnessed parts of the encounter, but not the shooting.

John Staffa, a teacher, said he was on his way to dinner with his family when he saw a car exiting the Walmart make a U-turn and flee south with several police cars following. At dinner, he heard police cars were lining his block and they were there most of the night.

A man who lives on the corner and didn't want to be identified said he saw Glover flee the vehicle and heard several shots, but trees obscured his view of what happened. Another man who also didn't want to be identified said he emerged from his house after hearing shots and saw police performing CPR on Glover directly in front of his house.

Police asked that anyone with information about the case call them at (630) 529-9868.

Knife-wielding thief shot dead, police say

  This is the spot were Julius Glover, 26, of Carol Stream fell after being shot by police, according to people who live on the block. They observed officers attempting to perform CPR. James Kane/jkane@dailyherald.com
  Bloomingdale police say they received reports of a man inside the Walmart at 314 W. Army Trail Road acting erratically and taking a woman's car keys, then brandishing a knife when approached by store employees. James Kane/jkane@dailyherald.com
  A man was shot and killed by Bloomingdale police Friday night in this normally quiet area at Mill Pond Drive and Chippendale Lane in Glendale Heights. Police say the man stole a car and after being stopped threatened them with a knife. James Kane/jkane@dailyherald.com
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