Charged: Police release identity of man and details of Freeport’s 12-hour standoff
The Freeport Police Department has released the identity of the man arrested Wednesday after an hourslong standoff at Mary Hosmer Apartments, 601 N. Walnut Ave. in Freeport. According to police, 52-year-old Grady Clark was taken into custody just before 11 p.m.
Wednesday after barricading himself in an upper floor apartment. The standoff in the 15-story building began sometime before 2 p.m. when police warned residents to stay away because of gunfire. “Our officers responded to the scene Wednesday morning and have been working with the community to ensure safety for all,” Freeport Police Chief Chris Shenberger said in a news release during the incident. “An individual was reported as shooting a firearm and our trained professionals are now working to completely eradicate the scene of potential for harm.”
According to a statement released by the department Thursday morning, the Freeport Police Department received a call for service at 10:38 a.m. Wednesday requesting a welfare check on a woman who was possibly being held against her will at an apartment at Mary Hosmer Apartments. Police learned that the woman was in an apartment with Clark and went to the apartment to make contact with the woman and Clark.
The officer could sense something was wrong and removed the female from the apartment, the release states. The office then learned that Clark had guns in the apartment and that he had threatened to kill the woman. According to police, Clark threatened that he had hostages, was suicidal and said he would shoot officers if they tried to enter the apartment.
The standoff ended up lasting 12 hours. At 1:50 p.m., Clark fired two rounds from a rifle out of a window of his 10th floor apartment, police said. Clark also tossed Molotov cocktails and other items out of the window.
Police negotiated with Clark throughout the day. At 10:30 p.m., Clark fired more rounds from inside of his apartment and at 10:45 p.m., he surrendered without incident. Police seized an AK-47 assault pistol, a SKS assault rifle, multiple high-capacity magazines, a 100 round drum magazine, a cache of ammunition and suspected MDMA from Clark’s apartment.
The Illinois State Police Special Weapons and Tactics Teams and the Crisis Negotiation Team assisted the Freeport Police Department throughout the day. Clark faces felony charges of possession of a weapon by a felon and reckless discharge of a firearm. The incident remains under investigation.
Clark is being held in the Stephenson County Jail.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star.
He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at [email protected] and on X @jeffkolkey[1][2].
References
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