Bodycam video has been released as the state’s attorney has cleared a SWAT team who fatally shot an armed gunman following an hours-long standoff near Crystal Lake in April.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 4:23 p.m. on April 10 to the 300 block of South Briarwood Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake for a domestic dispute.
According to 911 call audio released Thursday, a woman called to report her brother was “going insane” and had been drinking and threatening her family members.
The woman told a dispatcher that there were guns in the house and they were not in a secure place.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and spoke with the 911 caller, who reported her brother was in the back bedroom and her father and mother were still in the home.
The brother, identified as Darrick Lawrence, 46, of Crystal Lake, barricaded himself in the bedroom and yelled at deputies.
Body camera video released on Thursday showed deputies approaching the bedroom.
A deputy cracked open the door and saw Lawrence point a rifle at him, sheriff’s officials said. The deputies retreated and Lawrence could be heard saying, “You wanna die?”
Lawrence told deputies to leave the house. Deputies were attempting to evacuate the father when Lawrence fired a shot and then fired a second shot moments later as the father began exiting the home, the video showed.
“Go away right now or you are f–king dead,” Lawrence could be heard yelling just before he fired the second shot.
Additional police resources and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiation Team were called to assist.
A police command post was established nearby at the Lakewood Police Department.
The sheriff’s office issued an alert saying that heavy police activity was in the area of Briarwood Road and North Avenue due to the incident and asked people to avoid the area.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded and staged nearby during the standoff.
Negotiators began communicating with Lawrence while snipers were set up in the area focused on the home, according to police radio traffic.
Sheriff’s officials said the Hostage Negotiation Team was in “active conversation” with Lawrence in an effort to get him out safely but he refused to exit the home.
The negotiation efforts failed, the sheriff’s office said. Lawrence was seen on video opening a front window after approximately two hours.
He extended the barrel of a shotgun out of the window in the direction of the SWAT team and fired the gun, sheriff’s officials said.
Four deputies opened fire on Lawrence. A robot and a drone were eventually deployed and the SWAT team entered the residence around 7:30 p.m.
Officers found Lawrence had been struck by the gunfire during the shooting. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Damage was located on a SWAT vehicle believed to have been caused by Lawrence’s shotgun.
The Major Investigation Assistance Team (MIAT), McHenry County Coroner’s Office and McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office conducted an investigation into the incident.
The sheriff’s office announced on Thursday that the four deputies involved had been cleared to return to full duty following the MIAT investigation and review by the state’s attorney’s office.
“As with all deputy-involved shootings, those involved were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and legal review. The Sheriff’s Office appreciates the professionalism of MIAT and the State’s Attorney throughout this process,” sheriff’s officials said.
“The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency and supporting our deputies, our community, and all those affected by this tragic incident,” officials added.
In March, Lawrence was suspected of fleeing from the Crystal Lake Police Department while driving a 2012 Honda van and soon after being involved in a serious crash in Woodstock.
Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black said that officers in Crystal Lake tried to stop the car for a traffic violation on the evening of March 28.
Crystal Lake police did not engage in a pursuit and ended the attempt to stop the vehicle before it left Crystal Lake, Black said.
Woodstock Deputy Police Chief Ray Lanz said officers were at the scene of an unrelated call around 12:25 a.m. on March 29 in Woodstock when they observed the dark-colored Honda minivan drive past them at a very high rate of speed.
An officer attempted to locate the vehicle, which had traveled out of sight.
A concerned citizen flagged down the officer and told him that the minivan nearly struck his vehicle, Lanz said.
The officer responded to the last known location and was traveling on East Lake Street when the minivan passed him again at a high rate of speed.
Lanz said the officer turned around and turned onto Brown Street from Lake Street where he observed the minivan go airborne and crash at the T-intersection at Brown Street and Washburn Street.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said the Honda came to rest on its roof in a grassy field approximately 100 feet off the roadway.
It appeared the vehicle had gone airborne before coming to rest, Vucha said.
Lawrence, the driver of the Honda, was found unconscious and trapped inside the heavily damaged vehicle.
Firefighters worked to stabilize the vehicle and gain access to the man. They extricated him from the Honda minivan within 10 minutes.
Vucha said the driver was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital with critical injuries.
Court records show Lawrence was driving under the influence of alcohol, for which he was charged with and issued citations for disregarding a stop sign, driving wrong way and failure to reduce speed.