Naperville Police Release Video Of Officer Shooting Man With Hatchet

NAPERVILLE, IL — Just more than a week after a Naperville police officer fatally shot a man who authorities said charged him with a hatchet, Naperville Police officials have released body-worn camera footage of the incident.

Edward C. Samaan, 28, Naperville, died after being shot by the officer, who has not been identified. The video footage, which was released on Tuesday, shows the June 3 incident from both the officer’s body-worn camera and the camera inside the police officer’s vehicle.

Police said Tuesday that the officer had been involved in a traffic stop for more than 11 minutes on June 3 when a car approached and the man — later identified as Samaan — got out of his vehicle and made a move toward the officer with the hatchet.

In the video, the officer starts to backpedal and fires his gun, striking Samaan.

As Samaan got out of his vehicle, the officer asked him who he was before the video shows the man starting to run toward the officer with the hatchet. The officer then immediately started to fire at the man.

“I’ve just been attacked,” the officer said in the video. “Shots fired, shots fired.”

The officer then tells the man not to move and said “don’t fire” before telling the motorist he had pulled over to remain in her car. He then tells dispatch to send a medic to the scene.

Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said that the traffic stop involved a minor violation before the attack on the officer by an "uninvolved party. Arres said the incident demonstrates how dangerous the job of a police officer is.

Arres said that Naperville Police began issuing body-worn cameras to officers last month, and that full implementation of the cameras will be done by the end of June. He said an independent investigation of the incident is underway by the DuPage County MERIT public integrity team and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Arres said that his department continues to fully cooperate with the investigation.

“Any loss of life is tragic, and our thoughts are with the family of the deceased,” Arres said in the video. “I am extremely grateful, however, that neither our officer nor any bystanders were injured or killed.”