A Police Chief in Illinois had a word of advice for the crowd of angry protesters that criticized his officers for shooting a woman armed with a knife: “”You come at a police officer with a knife, you’re probably getting shot.”
Those were the words of Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda on Tuesday as he addressed a group of fifty individuals gathered outside police HQ, one day after one of his officers shot an armed woman involved in a long standoff.
The issue revolved around 34-year-old Decynthia Clements, a black female who -less than a half hour after midnight on Monday morning- refused to stop when police attempted to pull her over. While the pursuit was terminated, officer eventually spotted the vehicle and closed distance, backing off upon noticing Clements was armed with a knife.
Now engaged in a standoff with an armed woman for over an hour, officer eventually made the call to move in after they noticed a fire had started inside of the vehicle.
Pushing in, Lieutenant Christian Jensen attempted to pull her from the vehicle, but ultimately ended up shooting her, an incident that is currently under investigation.
Family members and other protesters at the scene demanded to know why officers armed with body armor and carrying less-lethal devices had to shoot an uncooperative woman armed with a knife.
“The idea that some people have that I will never be able to change is that if you come at me with a knife, that I need to wrestle it away from you or I need to let you stab me in the chest because I wear a bullet proof vest. That’s not how the real world works. You come at a police officer with a knife, you’re probably getting shot,” the chief said.
According to WGN9, the officers were wearing body cameras and the footage is under review.
A Police Chief in Illinois had a word of advice for the crowd of angry protesters that criticized his officers for shooting a woman armed with a knife: “”You come at a police officer with a knife, you’re probably getting shot.”
Those were the words of Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda on Tuesday as he addressed a group of fifty individuals gathered outside police HQ, one day after one of his officers shot an armed woman involved in a long standoff.
The issue revolved around 34-year-old Decynthia Clements, a black female who -less than a half hour after midnight on Monday morning- refused to stop when police attempted to pull her over. While the pursuit was terminated, officer eventually spotted the vehicle and closed distance, backing off upon noticing Clements was armed with a knife.
Now engaged in a standoff with an armed woman for over an hour, officer eventually made the call to move in after they noticed a fire had started inside of the vehicle.
Pushing in, Lieutenant Christian Jensen attempted to pull her from the vehicle, but ultimately ended up shooting her, an incident that is currently under investigation.
Family members and other protesters at the scene demanded to know why officers armed with body armor and carrying less-lethal devices had to shoot an uncooperative woman armed with a knife.
“The idea that some people have that I will never be able to change is that if you come at me with a knife, that I need to wrestle it away from you or I need to let you stab me in the chest because I wear a bullet proof vest. That’s not how the real world works. You come at a police officer with a knife, you’re probably getting shot,” the chief said.
According to WGN9, the officers were wearing body cameras and the footage is under review.
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