Vernon Hills Police Release Shooting Video

Surveillance video captured by cameras inside the Vernon Hills Police Department shows the encounter between an officer and the man who was shot after pointing a replica gun at the officer on April 3.

The footage, released Tuesday by the Village of Vernon Hills, begins when the man, later identified as 53-year-old Mundelein resident Howard R. Lazarus, enters the police station. In the video, a police officer greets him and they talk for just over a minute before Lazarus draws what appears to be a gun. 

The officer then walks down the hall, away from the visitor, and ducks around a corner. Soon after, Lazarus is seen falling to the ground. The officer returns to his side and kicks away the weapon. Minutes later, paramedics arrive on the scene and can be seen tending to Lazarus and removing him on a stretcher.

No sound can be heard in the 10-minute video. The attached video includes footage, taken concurrently, from two different cameras in the police station.

In a statement issued hours after the incident, Vernon Hills police said Lazarus initially told the officer that he wanted to file a report involving a car accident he had in Mundelein. They said Lazarus pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officer when he offered to transport him to the Mundelein Police Department to file a report.

The Vernon Hills officer, whose name has not been released, then drew his weapon and told Lazarus several times to drop his gun, according to police.

"The man pulled back the slide on the handgun and took several steps towards the officer. In response, the officer fired two rounds at the suspect, striking him one time in the abdomen," police said.

Larazus, who was charged with felony aggravated assault, was transported to the hospital and was later taken to jail, where he's being held on a $100,000 bond. He appeared at a preliminary hearing April 15 and is due back in court May 6.

Police said a hand-written note in Lazarus' pocket stated, in part, “I apologize for placing your officers in this position. I am dying from cancer and couldn’t do the deed myself.”

The weapon he pointed at the officer was later determined to be a metal, 9mm semi-automatic “replica gun” with a working slide and removable magazine. 

Per Vernon Hills Police Department policy, the officer who fired the shots was placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation of the incident.

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