Naperville officer fatally shoots hatchet-wielding man

The officer was conducting a traffic stop at 11 a.m. when an unrelated vehicle pulled up next to the vehicle the officer had pulled over, the Naperville Police Department said. A man exited the second vehicle and charged the officer with a hatchet in his hand, it said.

Chicago Journal

Jun 4 2022 | 2 min read

Bodycam image of a man in his 20's attacking a Naperville Police Officer during a seemingly unrelated traffic stop. | Photo: Naperville Police

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago police officer fatally shot a man who came at the officer with a hatchet during a traffic stop Friday, authorities said.

The officer was conducting a traffic stop at 11 a.m. when an unrelated vehicle pulled up next to the vehicle the officer had pulled over, the Naperville Police Department said. A man exited the second vehicle and charged the officer with a hatchet in his hand, it said.

The officer fired their gun, striking the man, police said. The man, a white male in his 20s, was transported to an hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The man's name was withheld pending notification of family.

The officer, a 22-year-veteran of the Naperville Police Department, was not injured. Naperville officers were issued bodycams just last month.

The DuPage County Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigative Team and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office were notified and are conducting the independent investigation into this incident, police said.