In accordance with the Illinois Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (50 ILCS 727/1-10), Kane County State’s attorney Jamie L. Mosser today announced her office’s determination that the January 21, 2026, Aurora police officer-involved fatal shooting of 27-year-old Temesgen Welendreyas, of Aurora, was justified as self-defense and the defense of others, and the investigation into the incident is now closed.
The investigation was conducted by the Fox Valley Major Crimes Task Force* and reviewed by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. It found that on January 21, 2026, Welendreyas battered and threatened his housemate with a knife, and his housemate contacted the police. Aurora police officers were dispatched to the residence, located on the 300 block of Broadway Ave., Aurora, and arrived at approximately 12:42 p.m. By then, Welendreyas had barricaded himself in his room and was refusing to come out or open the door. Aurora police officers attempted to speak with Welendreyas over a period of 17 minutes, deployed non-lethal de-escalation tools, and eventually obtained a key to the door. When officers made entry to the room, Welendreyas advanced toward them, swinging a knife. Welendreyas also had what appeared to be a gas can in his other hand, later determined to have diesel fuel in it. Two officers fired four shots in total. Officers disarmed Welendreyas and immediately began life-sustaining measures. An autopsy conducted by the Kane County Coroner’s Office determined Welendreyas’s cause of death to have been from multiple gunshot wounds.
“My office has reviewed the Task Force’s investigation into this incident,” said Kane County State’s attorney Jamie Mosser. “It is my determination that the officers’ use of force was justified in response to the immediate and severe threat posed by Mr. Welendreyas. Officers repeatedly attempted to de-escalate the situation and peaceably take Mr. Welendreyas into custody. While making entry, they ordered Mr. Welendreyas to show them his hands and, when they saw the knife, ordered him to drop it. Instead, Mr. Welendreyas swung the knife at officers, coming so close as to hit the shield that one of them was carrying. The officers would have had a reasonable belief that they, along with the other officers on scene, were in danger of death or great bodily harm. There were no violations of state law or Aurora Police Department policies by any of the Aurora personnel involved in this incident. I want to thank the Fox Valley Major Crimes Task Force for their thorough investigation into this matter. I also want to thank the Aurora Police Department for their cooperation with this investigation. Lastly, I extend my condolences to the family of Mr. Welendreyas for their loss.”
The full report is being released through the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office’s FOIA Office. Submit a request here or go to https://sao.kanecountyil.gov/Pages/Foia.aspx for more information.
*Formerly known as the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force.
—Kane County government