Round Lake Beach police fatally shoot sledgehammer-wielding offender, authorities say

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. (WLS) -- A police investigation is underway into a police shooting that left a sledgehammer-wielding suspect dead in north suburban Round Lake Beach.

Investigators said police were responding to a domestic battery incident where at least two people were hurt.

When officers arrived Wednesday afternoon, officers found two bleeding, panicked women.

"Both victims had very serious head and facial injuries consistent with being struck with a blunt force object," said Christopher Covelli with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force.

As police pulled the women to safety from the garage, they said a team of officers slowly approached the front door armed with a shield.

"The offender aggressively moved toward the officer, both hands on the sledgehammer, began to raise it up and move in the direction of an officer who was in the proximity," Covelli said.

Investigators said one of the Round Lake Beach police officers immediately deployed his taser but it was not effective.

One of the officers shot the male offender with his firearm, investigators said. The man was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Crime scene tape blocked off the otherwise ordinary Round Lake Beach residential block of Redwood Drive. The entire ordeal has left the neighborhood uneasy.

"I knew something bad happened," resident Laura Widenhoefer said. "I suffer from severe anxiety, so I've been real shaky all night."

Three police officers were taken to the hospital for evaluation, and investigators said the two female victims are still hospitalized with serious injuries.

The name of the suspect has not yet been released.

The Lake County Major Crime Task Force continues to investigate.