DIXON — A man threatening suicide shot and wounded three sheriff’s deputies Wednesday at a northern Illinois home after barricading himself with guns, body armor, pepper spray and a knife, authorities said.
The deputies returned fire and wounded the suspect, Jonathon G. Gounaris, upon entering the home midday Wednesday in the Lost Lake community near Dixon, the Ogle County sheriff’s office said in a statement released Wednesday evening.
One deputy was shot in the face, another in the arm, and a third in body armor, according to the statement. One deputy was airlifted to a Rockford hospital and underwent surgery Wednesday evening, while the other two deputies were treated at a hospital in Dixon and released, authorities said. The suspect also underwent surgery at a hospital.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle told reporters shortly after the shooting that everyone injured was in good condition.
The incident began about 8:30 a.m., when a family member called police to report the threats of suicide and homicide from someone at the home at 402 Wild Rice Lane, VanVickle said. Negotiators tried to reach the person by phone and decided to enter the home’s front door shortly before noon, he said.
“Immediately upon entering the house, our deputies received fire from inside the house,” he said. The deputies returned fire and “incapacitated” the suspect, the sheriff’s office said in its subsequent news release.
The suspect was found inside the front door of the home with multiple firearms, a fixed-blade knife, pepper spray and ballistic armor, according to the statement.
Officials did not release Gounaris’ age but public records indicate he is 32.
The Illinois State Police will handle the investigation of the shooting, VanVickle said. The agency did not immediately respond to an email from the Associated Press seeking comment.
Aerial video by local media Wednesday afternoon showed law enforcement and personal cars parked on the side of unpaved roads throughout the neighborhood and officials occasionally gathering in small groups but little ongoing activity. Yellow police tape blocked at least one driveway and an Ogle County sheriff’s mobile command center was parked at the end of the drive.
Lost Lake’s property owners association describes the area as a “country style community” with about 700 owners in an unincorporated area close to the cities of Dixon, Franklin Grove and Oregon, about 100 miles west of Chicago.
