Aurora police release video of fatal shooting

Aurora police have released some video of last week’s fatal police shooting of a 19-year-old man.

Authorities said Christopher Lepe, of Aurora, led police on a chase from Geneva to Aurora on Wednesday, March 19, after he was suspected of injuring a Geneva officer who was investigating a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot and was dragged by the car when the driver fled. The officer suffered serious injuries.

The shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. after police disabled Lepe’s car on South Broadway near Ashland Avenue.

Late Monday afternoon, the Aurora Police Department posted the video of what happened on its Facebook page.

The video contains dashboard-camera footage of an officer chasing the car Lepe was driving and dashboard and body-camera footage of the shooting.

The speed of the chase was up to 75 mph, and police used tire-deflating spikes to try to stop the car, according to the video.

When the car stopped on South Broadway, the lead officer on the pursuit can be heard saying, “He’s losing it. He’s losing it. He’s going to bail here. He’s going to bail here.”

Several other police vehicles, including one belonging to a Kane County sheriff's deputy, arrived and surrounded the car.

Once all the vehicles stopped, an officer yelled, “Get your hands up! Get your hands up!”

The driver then sets one foot out of the car while raising what appears to be a long gun and then goes back into the car.

Somebody yells, “Gun!,” and then there is the sound of at least nine shots being fired.

Geneva police had asked area police agencies to stop the car Lepe was driving because it was involved in an incident where a Geneva police officer was dragged. The officer suffered injuries that required surgery.

The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the shooting. Two Aurora police officers have been put on paid leave. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser will determine whether the officers should be criminally charged.