Video shows moment Illinois cop fatally shoots man rushing at him with an axe

nypost ^ | 6/20/2022 | Evan Simko-Bednarski

[bitt]

Pulse-pounding body camera footage shows the moment an Illinois man lunges towards an officer with an ax during a traffic stop — before he is fatally shot.

The newly-released video, released last week by the Naperville Police department, shows the terrifying June 3 incident.

The officer involved — a 22-year veteran of the force who has not been identified — was conducting a traffic stop when a silver sedan pulled up alongside the officer and the other vehicle, police said.

The driver of the sedan can be heard making an inaudible comment on the body-camera footage, to which the officer responds, “Who are you, dude? Who are you?”

Dash-cam footage from the officer’s squad car shows Edward C. Samaan, 28, the driver of the silver car, open his door as he rolls up to the scene, before closing it, putting his vehicle in park, and then opening it again.

The body-worn camera then shows Samaan wordlessly exit the sedan, and begin to sprint towards the officer, an axe in his right hand. The officer steps backwards and draws his gun, firing the first of six shots at Samaan.

Samaan keels over and hits the ground at the fourth shot.

“Base, I’ve just been attacked, I just–shots fired! shots fired!” the officer radios in.

[arthurus]

At that range the guy with the hatchet actually had a good chance of killing the officer. That is where training and practice practice practice is the difference between life and death.