OREGON — The Ogle County Emergency Response Team’s use of deadly force in a June 12 incident at a home in Lost Nation that left a barricaded Dixon man and three officers shot has been ruled justified, a Sept. 27 press release from Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock said. 

Jonathon Gounaris, 32, of rural Dixon is currently in custody due to the incident and his next scheduled court appearance is Oct. 17. He faces charges of four counts of attempted first degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card. 

The Ogle County ERT team was called to Gounaris’ home in Lost Nation on June 12 after a report of someone threatening to commit suicide, when police entered the home, Gounaris and Ogle County ERT Members Tyler Carls (Rochelle Fire Department), Lt. Jason Ketter (Ogle County Sheriff's Office) and Sgt. Tad Dominski (Oregon Police Department) were shot. ERT members were transported to area hospitals and later discharged. Gounaris underwent surgery and survived his injuries. 

The use of force by law enforcement was reviewed by Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley due to the Ogle County State’s Attorney’s Office handing the prosecution of Gounaris. 

The Illinois State Police, Zone 2, Major Crimes Investigation Unit conducted an investigation into the use of force and on Sept. 27, Hanley issued a memorandum concluding that the officers acted reasonably and lawfully. 

Dominski, Ketter, Ogle County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Justin Diehl and Deputy Jon Shippert were ERT members that fired weapons in the incident. The investigation into the incident consisted of interviewing witnesses, and reviewing police radio transmissions, police in-car cameras, body cameras, private surveillance video, photos of the scene, police reports, and results of forensic evaluations. 

The memorandum issued by Hanley lays out a timeline of the June 12 events. At 9 a.m., the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the west entrance of Lost Lake to speak with Gounaris’ mother, who was concerned about her son’s mental state and wanted deputies to perform a welfare check at her home where he resided. 

Gounaris’ mother told law enforcement that her son threatened suicide and harm to her and others that would try to talk with him, the memorandum said. She also said that Gounaris carried two pistols with him and she believed he had barricaded himself inside the home. It was learned by the responding deputy that Gounaris’ FOID card had been revoked as he had been designated a clear and present danger. The incident was turned over to the Ogle County ERT team. 

After delivering a “throw phone” into the home, a total of 75 calls were made to that phone and Gounaris’ cell phone by law enforcement without any answer. The ERT team made the decision at 11:50 a.m. to enter the home, one team from the front and one team from the back.  

The front door was breached with a ram and a flash bang was thrown by law enforcement, and at that point multiple shots were heard in video reviewed. Shots were fired at law enforcement and they returned fire, before finding cover and assessing their injuries. 

The ERT team members at the back entered the residence after shots had been fired and their body cameras show Gounaris on the ground wearing a bulletproof vest, and saying “Thank you” to law enforcement while being handcuffed and secured. ERT members determined Gounaris had been shot at this time and remained with him until EMS arrived. None of the ERT members that entered through the back of the house fired their weapons. 

Two firearms were recovered from the residence. One 9mm handgun was recovered from the living room floor with an empty magazine and was determined to be the firearm Gounaris used to fire at officers, the memorandum said. A 9mm handgun was found in another room and wasn’t believed to have been fired. 

The memorandum outlined the conclusions drawn after fully reviewing the incident. 

“The officers only fired their service pistols into the home after being fired upon by Gounaris,” the memorandum said. “The body cam video clearly shows this and the officers’ statements are corroborated by the video evidence. Further, the evidence demonstrates that Gounaris knew, or should have known, that officers were outside his home.”

The memorandum also mentions the fact that Gounaris was wearing a bulletproof vest and his statements to officers after the shooting, which played into the shooting by officers being ruled justified. 

“Based upon the totality of the circumstances, the officers’ belief that shooting at Gounaris was necessary to protect each of them and others from death or great bodily harm was reasonable,” the memorandum said. “Certainly, Gounaris posed an actual threat of death or great bodily harm to the officers nearby as he fired upon and struck officers. An officer may respond to that actual or imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to himself or others with equal force - in this case, by firing his gun.”