Coroner IDs Rockford man shot, killed by deputies in DeKalb hostage standoff

DeKALB – Authorities identified a Rockford man Friday as the suspect who was shot and killed by DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputies Wednesday after an hourslong standoff in which he allegedly took a hostage and shot at police.

Abram Perez, 42, of Rockford, was fatally shot after a police chase through the city of DeKalb into DeKalb Township on Rich Road, west of Nelson Road, according to the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office.

Perez’s cause of death remains pending an autopsy and toxicology results, according to a news release from Coroner Dennis Miller.

The police shooting remains under investigation by Illinois State Police. The agency is tasked with reviewing sheriff’s deputies’ use-of-force decisions in the fatal shooting. A state investigation is standard practice when an officer discharges a weapon, officials have said.

Perez allegedly held a woman hostage inside a vehicle in rural DeKalb Township for hours Wednesday morning, refusing to come out of the vehicle and eventually firing multiple times from a handgun at police, DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan previously said. No officers were injured, but a county sheriff squad car and an armored vehicle were struck by gunfire, Sullivan said.

The hostage was released uninjured about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday before Perez was shot by deputies shortly before 5 a.m., Sullivan said.

Perez was wanted in connection with a separate shooting in Rockford, police said. Authorities from the Rockford Police Department have not responded to requests for comment.

Local law enforcement tracked a red car – with plates registered to a DeKalb address – when it came into the county. They tried to pull over the car but were unsuccessful, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies managed to burst the tires of the car along Rich Road, where it came to a stop. At the time, Perez refused to exit the vehicle or release the woman.