A man who shot and killed a Rottweiller dog viciously attacking a 51 year-old female jogger last December in unincorporated St. Charles was honored Tuesday with Sheriff Ron Hain’s Heroic Citizens Award at a meeting of the Kane County Board. Chris Shanahan of unincorporated St. Charles was given the award for his courage in likely saving the woman’s life.
On the morning of December 13, unincorporated St. Charles resident Laura Kizman was jogging in the 7N300 block of Windsor Drive in St. Charles Township when a Labradoodle dog ran from a yard to greet her in the street. Kizman stopped and began escorting the dog back onto the property to the homeowner, who was in her driveway. As the Kizman walked up the driveway, two Rottweilers exited the home and began attacking her.
The attack went on for minutes and the dog owner was unable to disengage them from Kizman. Shanahan, a neighbor, was passing by and witnessed the attack. Shanahan stopped and also attempted to help Kizman and the dog owner, but they continued to be unsuccessful in their attempt to pull the dogs off of Kizman. Shanahan, a concealed carry license holder, was able to acquire his handgun and fired one shot into one of the Rottweilers. Both dogs released Kizman and retreated.
Kizman was transported to Delnor Hospital then flown by helicopter to Good Samaritan Hospital’s Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries. She underwent emergency surgery, and now, after numerous medical treatments, is hoping to make a full recovery from the incident.
The dog owner was also transported to Delnor Hospital for treatment after attempting to separate the dogs from the victim.
The Rottweiler who was shot succumbed to its injuries a short time later. The second Rottweiler was euthanized the following day by its owners.
The incident came on the heels of the controversy over another dog shot and killed while allegedly attacking a victim, this time in Wayne. The public outcry over that incident, captured by the phrase “Justice For Ludwig” (Ludwig being the name of the animal killed) forced Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser to hold a press conference in announcing their finding that the shooter in that case was justified in using lethal force against the animal on the grounds of having “reasonable fear for his life” while being allegedly attacked in his back yard along the Fox River.
