JOLIET, Ill. (AP) - Police in a Chicago suburb fatally shot a man who was brandishing what they believed to be a handgun and who allegedly threatened officers, officials of the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force said Wednesday.
Joliet police responded late Tuesday to call of a person threatening to shoot people. Authorities say when officers arrived on the scene, they found Joseph Casten, 19, of Naperville brandishing what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun. When Casten allegedly threatened police he was shot and later died at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. It was later determined the weapon was a BB gun.
Police said an investigation determined Casten was the 911 caller reporting a person in the street threatening to shoot people. No officers were injured during the incident, though several were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
An autopsy determined that the preliminary cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds, according to a statement by the Will County coroner’s office. The coroner is waiting for a final review of police, autopsy and toxicological reports before ruling on a manner of death as well as a final cause of death.
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