Updated: Man dead after shooting gun inside Woodstock home, then crashing car during police pursuit Friday

Driver has been identified by coroner

police lights

A person who shot a gun inside a Woodstock home with family members present and then fled in a car has died after crashing the vehicle while police were in pursuit, Woodstock police said in a news release Friday afternoon.

Police said they were sent to the 200 block of Douglas Street near Calhoun Street about 12:45 a.m. Friday for a domestic disturbance in which a firearm had been displayed and discharged “while multiple innocent family members were present.” Nobody was shot or injured during the shooting, according to the release.

When police arrived, the “identified shooter” was fleeing the scene in a car, according to the release. An officer tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver kept driving and began heading south on Route 47, police said.

The driver lost control and crashed at the intersection of Routes 47 and 176 near Crystal Lake, according to the release. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood police and the Crystal Lake Fire/Rescue Department went to the crash site and tried “lifesaving measures” on the driver, who police said didn’t survive.

The McHenry County Coroner’s Office said in a news release Friday afternoon that the driver was pronounced dead at Northwestern Medicine Hospital Huntley. The coroner identified the driver as Fabian Velazquez, 25, of Woodstock. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

A firearm recovered at the crash site matched the description of the firearm used on Douglas Street, police said.

Police did not identify the man and said the incident is under investigation. The McHenry County Major Investigations Assistance Team has been asked to help with the investigation, according to the release.

Police said they would release additional details “when authorized or appropriate,” according to the release, and urged anyone who has relevant information to call the Woodstock Police Department Investigations Division at 815-338-2131.

Have a Question about this article?