Buffalo Grove officials release audio, video from fatal police shooting of Elgin man

Buffalo Grove police have released the audio tape and video footage of the fatal Dec. 2 shooting between officers and 25-year-old Bryan Christopher Howard, who died due to a single gunshot wound to the chest.

His death was ruled a homicide after officers at approximately 12:30 a.m. that day were dispatched to a call of a man with a gun in the park near Radcliff and Boxwood, just east of Arlington Heights Road and south of Dundee Road. Police continued to tell Howard to drop his weapons, and after he reportedly fired his weapons, officers shot him. Police recovered two handguns at the scene: a Smith & Wesson 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun and a Smith & Wesson 45-caliber semi-automatic handgun — both still loaded. The two officers involved in the incident were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.

The audio starts off with a man calling 911 telling dispatch to send police to Futabakai School because “there’s a dude stranding out here. He’s all crazy. He’s got a 9 millimeter in the right hand and a .45 in the left so you should probably tell them to come with lethal intentions.”

The caller then said, “this crazy dude just popped off two rounds.” He also told dispatch to tell police to “use a lethal instead of a non-lethal.”

The caller then told dispatch the man in question was him, later identified as Howard. He told dispatch he shot off the 9 millimeter and the .45 and added he was not going to injure anyone.

The next audio clip entailed Howard telling dispatch, “I’m a bad man and I think they should (unintelligible) me on the throat, so tell them just come here with lethal intentions because, again, I have a 9 in my right hand and a .45 in the left. And I love police officers. I love everything that they do, but I am a bad dude and it’s about time that I get what’s coming to me.”

Howard continued, “I just flashed off a 9 and a .45 so I’m going to jail regardless, and that’s not the thing for me so just tell them to shoot to kill. I am sorry it has to be this way.”

Dispatch then is heard asking Howard to put down the weapons, but Howard replies saying he would not.

“I love the police officers, I love everyone, but my time has come and I can’t live with myself any longer,” Howard is heard on the audio. “This is the way it has to be and the way it’s going to be. The officers will not get hurt. I promise you that. I am not going to shoot any officer. I respect them too much. I’m scum and the world needs to be rid of a scum like me.”

Dispatch then tells Howard that police are on the way and they are asking dispatch to tell Howard to put the weapon down, but Howard continues to not listen.

Instead, Howard is heard saying he did not want to go to jail and that he should go to a psych ward, and called that moment a “breaking point” in his life.

“I really didn’t mean for it to be this way, but it kind of has to be,” Howard told dispatch, adding “this was the end of the road” for him.

Dispatch continues to try and help him over the phone, but Howard keeps stating he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt and then ends the phone call.

The video footage from the police squad car dash cam shows responding officers traveling at a high rate of speed to get to the scene within a few minutes.

According to video footage, officers spot Howard very quickly as Howard continues to approach officers with both weapons in hand. Officers are heard yelling at Howard to drop his weapons as he fires both guns in the air, but Howard ignored their commands on several occasions. That is when officers are seen shooting Howard, who dropped to the ground immediately.

Officers are then seen trying to revive him, but Howard was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Lake County Major Crime Task Force continues to investigate and the officers involved remain on paid administrative leave.
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