Waukegan Officer fatally shoots man who had gas can taped to chest

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday afternoon who was advancing toward him with a knife and hammer and had a gas can taped to his chest, police said.

According to the Lake County News-Sun, the Waukegan Police Department said the officer, a 15-year veteran, was responding to a neighborhood dispute at about 12:45 p.m. when he saw a wooden fence separating two houses on fire.^[1] He grabbed a fire extinguisher from his squad car and walked toward the burning fence when the man approached him.

When the man refused the officer's order to stop, the officer shot him, police said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released, pending an autopsy and the notification of next of kin, police said.

Waukegan Police Chief Keith Zupek said he has asked the Illinois State Police to investigate the shooting.

Waukegan is located about 42 miles north of Chicago.

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