‘Put it down now’: Des Plaines police release recordings of moments before fatal shooting
Newly released videos of the moments leading up to the Sept. 9 fatal shooting of a Des Plaines man by police show him breaking windows at his home with an electric hedge trimmer and then quickly marching toward an off-camera officer before shots ring out.
The videos also show the man — 21-year-old Ayham Babidi — refusing to drop the tool and yelling for the officer to drop his weapon.
The Des Plaines Police Department on Wednesday disseminated videos from a squad car, a nearby home security system and onlookers. They also released audio recordings of 911 calls. Links to the recordings were sent to media outlets and published on both the city’s website and the police department’s Facebook page.
The recordings support the department’s previous descriptions of Babidi’s behavior and the deadly encounter with police Sgt. Matthew Muchow, who was the first officer on the scene.
Officers went to the house on the 2000 block of East Touhy Avenue after Babidi’s mother called 911 and said he was threatening to kill her during a bipolar episode, according to a news release that accompanied the videos.
Muchow’s body-worn camera wasn’t active during the encounter. Police have said Babidi confronted Muchow too quickly for him to turn it on.
Video from Muchow’s squad car shows him pulling up to the house while Babidi is on the driveway with the hedge trimmer, which wasn’t plugged in. Babidi immediately walks toward the off-camera officer while holding the trimmer in front of his body and refuses to obey Muchow’s commands, including “Put it down. Put it down now.” Babidi and the officer yell at each other before the gunshots, the video reveals.
Police have said Babidi backed Muchow into oncoming traffic on Touhy Avenue before he was shot three times.
Muchow and other emergency personnel tried to save Babidi’s life but were unsuccessful, police have said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The Major Case Assistance Team is investigating the shooting and will determine if Muchow’s use of force was justified. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office will review that investigation.
When the major case team’s work is done, the police department will hire an outside investigator to examine departmental policies and procedures related to the incident, according to Wednesday’s news release.
Des Plaines police were familiar with Babidi before the shooting. He was arrested Aug. 19 and charged with misdemeanor battery after he hit an officer responding to a disturbance at the home, authorities said.
Muchow and five other officers who were on the scene and needed to be interviewed were placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting. All but Muchow have returned to duty.
Police ended the update Wednesday by expressing condolences to Babidi’s family.
“Any loss of life is a tragedy, and we recognize the profound grief this incident brings to those affected,” the statement concluded.
rlissau@dailyherald.com