Police officers in suburban St. Charles will not be charged after a chainsaw-wielding man was fatally shot inside an assisted living home late last year.
According to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, officers will not face charges in the shooting death of 41-year-old Daniel Escalera, who was killed inside of the River Glen of St. Charles facility on Dec. 1, 2024.
According to the state’s attorney’s office, the shooting was deemed “necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm,” and charges will not be filed in the case.
“I am very proud of how our Officers responded to this incident,” said St. Charles Acting Chief of Police Eric Majewski. “They were confronted with a fast-paced situation in which they attempted all means of de-escalation to protect the elderly residents and themselves that had been placed in immediate harm's way.”
Officers were called to the facility on Dec. 1 after reports of a man trying to cut down a tree with a chainsaw. That man then tried entering the facility, an officer confronted him inside near the doorway to a cafeteria, where residents were dining.
The officer ordered the suspect to put down the chainsaw, but he entered the room and started the tool, according to the state’s attorney. The officer then deployed a Taser, temporarily knocking the suspect down.
He then got back up, grabbed the chainsaw and lunged at the officer, who retreated to where another officer was standing. The officers then entered the cafeteria via another door, and when the suspect tried again to enter the room, an officer fired multiple shots, but did not strike him.
Local
The suspect then ran into an officer with the chainsaw and dropped it, and tried fleeing the room. During that part of the incident, the officer fired a third shot, striking the suspect in the arm.
Finally, the suspect ran down a hallway and stopped next to a resident who was sitting in a wheelchair. He then “held his hands forward in a position which appeared to imitate holding a firearm,” and a fourth shot was fired, striking him in the chest.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No residents were harmed in the incident.
Illinois State Police handled the investigation in accordance with state law on use-of-force incidents. Officer and witness testimony, as well as bodycam footage and other surveillance video, were used in the case and were released along with Tuesday’s announcement.
According to the Kane County Coroner’s Office, the suspect in the case was under the influence of methamphetamines at the time of the attack, and also tested positive for amphetamines and olanzapine.
