Officer Involved in Shooting is Doing Well, Police Say

Police said a sergeant who shot and killed a despondent man who threatened him early Tuesday is emotionally well, all things considered.

"It's a traumatic event," Sgt. Gregg Bell said. "It can be difficult to cope with that sort of thing."

Naperville police and officials from the DuPage County State’s Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting, which occurred at about 1 a.m. Tuesday. It was around then that police responded to a 911 call made from a second-floor apartment at 1135 W. Ogden Ave., where they were told a suicidal man was. Police shot and killed the man, identified as William C. Ladew, 47, of Aurora, after he approached them wielding a knife.

“The subject’s female friend allowed the officers into the apartment and the subject advanced from a back bedroom toward the officers, with a large knife, in a threatening manner,” according to a Naperville Police Department news release. “Officers ordered the subject to drop the knife and he refused. In fear for their lives, the officers shot the subject. Immediately thereafter first aid was rendered to the subject.”

Ladew was pronounced dead at , stated the release.

Naperville Deputy Chief of Police Gary Bolt confirmed that Sgt. Steve Schindlbeck fired the gun in the fatal shooting. Schindlbeck is a 19-year veteran of the department and the officer by his side has been working there for a decade. Both have been placed on administrative leave—per department policy—to give them time to emotionally recuperate, Bell said.

Bell said Tuesday's incident was the second shooting by an officer in the history of the Naperville Police Department. The first was Jan. 23 2002, when police were called to a Naperville home for a domestic dispute involving David Kasmar, who fired his .357 Magnum at an officer.

That officer was Schindlbeck, who returned fire and killed Kasmar by fatally shooting him in the abdomen, police said.

Bolt said it's unfortunate that Schindlbeck has been involved in two such incidents, but said sometimes, these things can happen.

"Believe me, the cops aren't running around trying to get into gun fights," he said. 

The investigation following Tuesday's shooting is standard procedure, he said. The state’s attorney’s office makes the final ruling on if there was any wrongdoing or if a shooting was justifiable.

"There are a number of procedures that need to take place, like interviews and other things," Bold said. "I'm anticipating that (Schindlbeck) will back to work once we get some of these processes taking care of."

Officers involved in fatal incidents are typically referred to psychologists and other support services offered through the department, Bell said.

"Leave can be anywhere from a few days to a week or two, depending on the state of the officers involved," he said. "In most cases, it just involves the individual who is involved directly with the shooting. But in this case we the officer who was present on leave as well."

Bell said officers are authorized to use deadly force, "If we are in fear of our life or the lives of others. And that, "It falls under our duty to serve and protect."

Unfortunately, people sometimes forget that the burden of using deadly force occasionally falls on officers' shoulders, he added.

"It's part of the job," Bell said. "It's a part you hope you don't encounter, but you need to be prepared for it in case you do."