Aurora Releases Officer Involved Shooting Video Clips
The Aurora Police Department has released video clips and still shots taken from a bank surveillance system and a video previously posted to social media that depict the exchange of gunfire between two officers and Santiago Calderon of Aurora.
The shooting occurred at about 9:45 p.m. March 22, when two special operations investigators followed a green Chevrolet SUV driven by Calderon, 36, which they had seen leaving a known gang house in the 200 block of South Lake Street.
When they pulled the vehicle over for an equipment violation in the first block of East Galena Boulevard, Calderon, of the 700 block of East Galena, Aurora, fired shots at the officers.
Calderon then took off east, where his SUV hit a 2009 Chevy Malibu being driven by a 19-year-old Aurora man at Galena and Broadway (IL Route 25).
Calderon ran from his vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the two investigators.
During the exchange of gunfire, Calderon was fatally shot in a parking lot on LaSalle Street between Galena and Downer Place. When the officers went to render medical aid to Calderon, a gun was found at his side.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
One of the Investigators suffered a gunshot wound to the leg while the other investigator suffered a shoulder injury (not a gunshot injury) when he was taking cover. Both were treated and released from an Aurora hospital.
The passenger in the suspect vehicle, a 24-year-old Aurora man, did not flee during the incident. He was taken into custody by responding officers, then treated and released from an Aurora hospital for injuries not specified by the Police Department news release.
The passenger was not charged in the incident and was released by Aurora police the morning of March 23.
The 19-year-old man involved in the crash with Calderon refused medical treatment. He was the only occupant in his vehicle.
APD spokesman Dan Ferrelli acknowledged that the released video was not high quality.
“Because the surveillance videos, at times, are difficult to see, we took some screen shots and highlighted key moments in the encounter,” he said. “Please remember these are taken from bank surveillance cameras and appear ‘jumpy.’ Also, the ATM and bank parking lot cameras are not synchronized, so there are some minor discrepancies in timing.”
Bank ATM Machine Sequence
This is the APD’s interpretation of the video sequence:
- 9:45:42 — Calderon is seen running from an SOG investigator toward the white SUV in the parking lot where the exchange of shots takes place.
- 9:45:44-The SOG investigator is seen chasing Calderon.
- 9:45:48 — The SOG investigator hits the ground after Calderon again begins firing. Calderon is standing on the front side of the SUV out of camera range.
- 9:45:53 — The investigator and Calderon are exchanging gunshots. Again, Calderon is off camera.
- 9:46:05 — The gunshots have stopped and the two Investigators take cover behind the SUV. Not knowing if Calderon still has a gun and may start shooting, the two Investigators await backup officers.
Parking Lot Sequence
- 9:45:37 — Calderon is seen next to the white SUV at the top of the photo. An SOG investigator is seen next to the other vehicle. The two are exchanging gunfire.
- 9:45:45 — The second SOG investigator is shown on the left side of the screen, where he also shoots at Calderon. Calderon attempts to flee the scene on foot but collapses. The arrow is the approximate location of where Calderon collapses.
- 9:45:57 — The investigators take cover behind the white SUV and await backup.
Third Video
The third video, shot by a citizen, shows some of the unfolding incident and the Police Department’s initial response. You can hear the officers yelling at Calderon at the beginning of the clip. The citizen provided the captions in this video.
The continuing investigation is being conducted by the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force.
Read More
