(NewsInsights.org) – Three deputies from the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) in Illinois are recovering from gunshot wounds this week after an incident in Dixon on May 12 suddenly escalated into an intense shootout. According to Sheriff Brian VanVickle, a woman reached out to police for help at around 8:30 a.m. because her son, Jonathon Gounaris, was suffering from “suicidal and homicidal ideations.”
The OCSD’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) arrived on the scene at around 10:20 a.m. By then, Gounaris had barricaded himself inside the house with a fixed-blade knife, pepper spray, ballistic armor, and multiple firearms. He was actively threatening to harm himself and others.
The ERT immediately initiated hostage negotiations in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and convince Gounaris to surrender on his own. According to VanVickle, officers placed the first call to his cell phone around 10:40 a.m. and made at least 50 additional attempts to reach him over the course of the next hour.
Increasingly concerned for the suspect’s well-being, the ERT determined that it had no choice but to enter the residence by force shortly before noon. Gounaris opened fire from deeper inside the moment they breached the door.
In the fierce exchange of gunfire that followed, the suspect managed to shoot one deputy in his bulletproof vest, another in the arm, and another in the face. The brief but violent confrontation came to an end when an officer managed to shoot and incapacitate Gounaris.
VanVickle spoke to the media about the incident at a short press conference later the same day. He confirmed that all four of the men involved in the shooting, including Gounaris, were transported to local hospitals for care and were in good condition.
The Illinois State Police force has since stepped in to take over the investigation. However, this is the standard protocol for all OCSD shootings involving an officer.
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