3 deputies shot while responding to home near Dixon, suspect also wounded, official says
DIXON — Three sheriff’s deputies were shot Wednesday while responding to a northern Illinois home, and the suspect was also wounded, authorities told reporters.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the deputies were shot while responding to a report that someone inside the home was threatening to kill themself or others. He said the suspect also was shot.
VanVickle said everyone was listed in good condition.
Authorities were initially called at 8:39 a.m. to the 400 block of Wild Rice Lane by a family member who said someone was threatening suicide and homicide, VanVickle said. Crews responded and attempted to make contact with the person but could not. Authorities tried to call the person’s cellphone, and made 50 phone call attempts to the home without success, VanVickle said.
Deputies entered the home at 11:51 a.m. to “determine the well-being of that individual,” he said.
“Immediately upon entering the house our deputies received fire from inside the house,” VanVickle said.
Three deputies were struck by gunfire and taken to hospitals, he said. The suspect was also struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital. VanVickle declined to answer questions, beyond saying everyone was in good condition.
A spokesperson at Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon said three people were taken to the hospital’s emergency department, two of whom were treated and released. The spokesperson did not release the condition of the third person.
Aerial video by local media Wednesday afternoon showed law enforcement and personal cars parked on the side of unpaved roads throughout the neighborhood and officials occasionally gathering in small groups but little ongoing activity. Yellow police tape blocked at least one driveway and an Ogle County sheriff’s mobile command center was parked at the end of the drive.
Lost Lake’s property owner’s association describes the area as a “country style community” with about 700 owners in an unincorporated area close to the cities of Dixon, Franklin Grove and Oregon, about 100 miles west of Chicago.
