Man shot dead by Buffalo Grove police after dialing 911, firing guns

A man was shot and killed by Buffalo Grove police early Thursday after he called 911, fired off two guns and then refused to drop them when officers arrived, officials said.

This was believed to be the first police shooting on record in Buffalo Grove.

Two officers had arrived to the call of a person with a gun and found 25-year-old Brian Howard in a lot at Radcliffe Road and Boxwood Lane, Buffalo Grove Deputy Police Chief Mike Szos told reporters at the scene.

Howard fired two handguns and then walked toward the officers around 12:30 a.m., Szos said. It was unclear if he fired at the officers or into the air.

The officers ordered Howard to stop and, when he continued toward them, the officers opened fire, Szos said.

The officers gave Howard first aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, he said. Howard, whose registered home address is in Elgin, had been living with family in Buffalo Grove.

The officers were uninjured but were taken to a hospital for evaluation, Szos said.

Szos said investigators were probing if the man’s death was a case of “suicide by cop,” since he called police himself and then refused to drop his guns.

Later Thursday morning, Police Chief Steven Casstevens elaborated on the 911 call allegedly placed by Howard.

The caller told the dispatcher, “There’s a dude standing out there and he’s all crazy,” Casstevens told reporters. The caller claimed to see a man with two guns who fired two rounds.

The dispatcher asked him to identify the gunman, and the caller replied, “Well, that would be me,” according to Casstevens.

Casstevens said he reviewed dashboard video of the shooting and said he believes his officers did everything in their power to stop Howard. He said video of the shooting would be released publicly later.

There is no body camera video of the incident because bodycams haven’t been adopted by the department, which has until 2025 under state law to adopt them, Casstevens said.

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force was investigating the officers’ use of force.