NAPERVILLE, IL – Naperville police have released bodycam and dashcam video of a fatal police shooting that originally took place on June 3rd involving a 28 year-old man who sprung a surprise attack with a hatchet on an officer who was engaged in an unrelated traffic stop with another individual.
The video depicts a shocking and seemingly random attack that comes out of nowhere, illustrating the hazards of everyday police work even when simply performing mundane tasks such as traffic safety enforcement.
The footage starts off with the officer, a 22-year veteran of the force, engaged in a routine traffic stop at 11 a.m. near the intersection of Bond Street and McDowell Road with a male driver when an uninvolved vehicle quickly speeds down the road, pulls up next to them, and opens its door.
The driver of the vehicle – Edward Samaan of Naperville, 28 – can be seen initially struggling to put the vehicle into park in the middle of the street as the officer turns to face him, clearly confused as to why he was stopping so close to him; the officer can be heard asking “Who are you?” as Samaan finally gets his car into park and begins to get out.
Suddenly, Samaan jumps out of his vehicle and charges at the officer with a hatchet in his hand; the officer – who had already placed his hand on his gun when Samaan first pulled up to his traffic stop – immediately draws his firearm and proceeds to shoot at the attacker six times, dropping him to the roadway and sending the hatchet clattering to the ground.
The officer then holds Samaan – who can be heard crying and moaning in pain while lying on the ground – at gunpoint until backup units arrive and place the unresponsive suspect in handcuffs; he was transported to a local area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Neither the officer, nor the driver of the vehicle involved in the initial traffic stop, were injured.
The reason for the attack is unknown. The DuPage County Coroner’s Office has performed an autopsy, and toxicology results are still pending as police continue to investigate the bizarre incident.
Local media spoke to Samaan’s brother, who confirmed that investigators had spoken with his family about the shooting; he was quoted as saying “We are sorry to everyone involved.”
Naperville officers had only just been outfitted with body-worn cameras last month.
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