The Aurora Police Department has released still images of the altercation in the early hours of Wednesday morning that led to the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Christopher Lepe of Aurora, who was a suspect in an incident in Geneva that left a Geneva police officer in hospital.
In a post on Facebook, the department expressed its desire for transparency in relation to the shooting, which is being investigated by the Kane County State’s Attorney.
The incident began at approximately 1:28am Wednesday, when a Geneva police officer noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in the business parking lot in the 1500 block of South Randall Road. The officer noticed the driver, later identified as Lepe, may allegedly have been intoxicated and asked him to exit the vehicle.
Instead, Lepe started the car and drove away, dragging the officer a short distance in the parking lot. Lepe fled the area, but the vehicle description and license plate were passed along to neighboring law enforcement agencies.
Shortly thereafter, Aurora police located the vehicle traveling southbound on Lake Street near Galena Boulevard. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Lepe refused to stop. Officers gave chase and, ultimately, the vehicle traveled northbound Route 25. As the vehicle approached Ashland Avenue, officers successfully deployed stop sticks and the vehicle came to a stop a short distance later.
According to Aurora police, as officers attempted to contact Lepe he displayed a weapon, and two Aurora police officers opened fire, severely wounding him. The officers rendered aid until he was transported to a local hospital by Aurora fire paramedics. Lepe was pronounced deceased a short time later.
An investigation into the officers’ actions is being conducted by the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force. Both Aurora officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure for officer-involved deaths
