Zion police shoot driver during vehicle chase

For the third time in about 15 months, law-enforcement officials are investigating a police-involved shooting in Zion.

A person who led police on a vehicle chase was shot and wounded by officers while trying to escape, according to a news release Wednesday. The shooting occurred at 11:07 p.m. Tuesday after police tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation at 29th Street and Galilee Avenue.

Police, who have not released the person's identity, say charges are pending.

The situation escalated soon after the driver failed to immediately stop for police, then pulled over and parked momentarily in an alley on the 2800 block of Galilee Avenue, according to the release. The driver put the vehicle in reverse and drove away, which led to a vehicle pursuit and a crash on the 2600 block of 27th Street, according to the release.

There, the driver again tried to escape and hit a Zion squad car. An officer fired one shot that struck the driver, officials said in the release.

The driver drove off and headed west toward Lewis Avenue, made a U-turn and returned to the 2600 block of 27th Street. The driver left the vehicle and ran into a residence, then was taken into custody by police, authorities said.

The driver was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment of a superficial gunshot wound to the chest and was released to police custody, authorities said in the release.

The police officer was taken to a hospital as a precaution. He was evaluated and released, authorities said.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, per department protocol and state law, officials said. The task force has requested assistance from the Chicago FBI Civil Rights Division.

This is the third time in a little more than 15 months an officer-involved shooting has been reported in Zion.

Charles Hollstein, 38, was shot and killed Jan. 6 during a police confrontation. Police said he was wearing a tactical vest and was armed with a BB gun when officers tried to speak with him while he was taking pictures of schools in the area. Hollstein tried to grab an officer's gun during the confrontation before police shot him, officials said.

Justus Howell, 17, was shot during a foot chase with officers April 4, 2015. Howell stole a gun during an illegal gun transaction before leading police on the foot chase near the 2300 block of Galilee. Authorities said Howell made a motion that a police officer deemed was threatening, prompting the officer to shoot him.

After investigations, Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim declared officers justified in each shooting.