Body cam footage shows Waukegan police officer fatally shoot man wielding knife, hammer

WAUKEGAN, Ill. - Authorities released body camera footage from an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Waukegan last month.

At about 12:45 p.m. on Aug. 24, Waukegan police responded to the 1000 block of Glen Court for numerous 911 calls regarding a man who smashed his neighbor's windows and lit a fence on fire.

Additionally, callers reported that the man poured gasoline on the neighbors' house and was trying to start up a chainsaw.

When police arrived at the scene, one officer observed the fence on fire and retrieved a fire extinguisher from the back of his vehicle to extinguish it, the city of Waukegan said in a statement.

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The officer was then approached by the suspect, who was wielding both a knife and a hammer, authorities said.

The officer told the suspect to drop the weapons, but ignored the commands and continued moving toward the officer with the knife raised above his head.

The officer then fatally shot the suspect.

Illinois State Police are currently investigating this incident.