DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Steven Hirstein is facing attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated assault charges for the violent encounter Thursday morning that led officers to open fire on him.
Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel said his officers were not hurt while responding to the scene, but that domestic violence calls can be particularly dangerous for officers.
"Anytime we respond to domestic violence incidents, especially when there's weapons involved, we're certainly heightened," Chief Brandel said Thursday. "Raw emotion and about as strong of an emotion you can get is interjected into those type of incidents. So they can become violent very quick."
"They didn't go to work that night planning anything like that. They wanted a smooth shift for their safety and the citizens' safety," Decatur City Councilman Ed Culp told WAND News.
Culp is a former law enforcement officer and said he knows both officers involved in this incident. He wants the public to remembers, they are people as well as police.
"I can't stress enough, these are human beings in a uniform, with families, with children, with daily issues we all have. When this occurs this is another issue they're going to have to deal with," Councilman Culp explained.
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"This just highlights the dangers of the work that they do everyday," Chief Brandel said. "I certainly appreciate what they do when they go out at night, when everybody else is asleep, and they take care of business and do what they need to do to keep us all safe."
Hirstein was already wanted on domestic battery charges before the incident Thursday morning. Decatur Police say he will be booked on those charges when he is released from the hospital.
Illinois State Police will book him on the charges in this latest incident, as the agency is taking over the investigation.
The ISP Zone Five Criminal Investigations Division will investigate the officer involved shooting, as is standard protocol. Both officers involved will be on paid administrative leave while the ISP investigation occurs. ISP will refer its findings to the Macon County State's Attorney office.
Chief Brandel told WAND News he expects to release body camera footage from the incident in the coming weeks.
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