Authorities say police shot and killed a man who opened fire on officers, wounding three, during a standoff in northwest suburban South Elgin that began Tuesday night.
At around 10:50 p.m., officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 300 block of Woodridge Circle, South Elgin police said in a statement.
Upon arrival, the officers "immediately began taking fire from a shotgun," according to police, who said the suspect began yelling vulgarities at the officers from the back porch of an apartment and said he would shoot if they came at him.
“He initially told officers if they came near him he would shoot them,” said South Elgin Sgt. Mike Dot.
Authorities set up a perimeter and began negotiations with the suspect, and at around 11:34 p.m., two SWAT teams were called to the scene, officials said.
The suspect had a shotgun and a rifle, according to police, and was aiming it at officers when police ordered an evacuation of the area and asked that anyone who lived nearby not come outside.
Samantha Pointe who lives across from Dripp’s unit, said she listened as the stand-off stretched into the early hours.
“I just heard him basically telling them to shoot him. He didn’t care. He said he wasn’t going to jail,” said Pointe.
After approximately four hours, the suspect came out of the residence and opened fire on officers for a second time, according to police, who said the officers returned fire, killing the gunman.
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South Elgin police identified the man as 52-year-old Frank Dripps, who lived in the complex where the shooting took place.
Three officers were struck in the shooting, according to police. They came from the Geneva Police Department, the Hanover Park Police Department and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, officials said, and were all part of the Kane County SWAT team.
All three were taken to area hospitals, where they were listed in good condition with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening. A fourth officer was also taken to a local hospital for observation, authorities said.
Seventeen law enforcement agencies in total responded to the scene, according to police.
Further details on the shooting were not immediately available, according to police, and the investigation remained ongoing.
