The St. Charles police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man accused of wielding a chain saw and threatening residents at an assisted-living facility will not face criminal charges, authorities said.
The Illinois State Police investigated the Dec. 1, 2024, shooting death of Daniel Escalera, 41. Officials looked at body-worn camera audio and video, statements from witnesses, physical evidence from the scene and autopsy results, according to a joint press release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Illinois State Police and the St. Charles Police Department.
The findings were presented to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, which found no wrongdoing on the part of the officers and closed the review, according to the release.
On Dec. 1, 2024, police responded to River Glen of St. Charles at 975 N. Fifth Ave., an assisted-living facility. Escalera had been seen by witnesses trying to cut down a tree with a chain saw and had entered the facility’s lobby and reportedly confronted residents, officials said.
The Illinois State Police found that an officer, upon finding Escalera at the doorway to the cafeteria near multiple residents, showed Escalera his Taser and warned him to drop the chain saw, the press release said. Escalera entered the cafeteria and started the chain saw, according to the release, which said the officer deployed his Taser, hitting Escalera in the chest.
Escalera was briefly knocked down, but then got up and ran toward the officer with the chain saw, according to the release.
At that point, a second St. Charles police officer joined, and a third officer followed Escalera to the facility’s cafeteria and back into the building’s lobby, according to the joint release. Escalera charged toward the officer, who fired two shots that missed him, and Escalera collided with the officer and dropped the chain saw, according to the release.
The officer then shot Escalera in the left forearm as he fled, officials said. Escalera stopped near an elderly resident in a wheelchair and held his hands in a position that appeared to imitate holding a gun, according to the release, and the officer shot Escalera in the chest.
The officers then provided medical treatment to Escalera, the release said. After paramedics arrived, Escalera was taken to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. The coroner’s office attributed the cause of death to gunshot wounds; toxicology reports found amphetamines, methamphetamines and olanzapine in Escalera’s system, according to Tuesday’s release.
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office determined that deadly force was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to the officers or others present and therefore will not pursue criminal charges against the officers, according to the release.
The video of the shooting is available at https://ispvideos.illinois.gov/media/videos/ois_st_charles_12-01-24-mp4.html. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office authorized the release of the video, according to the news release, and the Illinois State Police allowed Escalera’s family to review it before it was made public.
