Armed suspect in custody following hours-long standoff after tree trimmer found shot in Schaumburg

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Police are holding a suspect in the shooting of a tree trimmer after an apparent noise dispute in the northwest suburbs Wednesday, which led to a SWAT response after the alleged shooter barricaded himself inside a home for hours.

Police surrounded the home for seven hours before the alleged shooter was taken into custody after 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Village of Schaumburg officials said.

According to an update from village officials about an hour before the offender was taken into custody, police were called to the 800 block of South Braintree Drive in Schaumburg just before 3 p.m. Wednesday for a person on the ground with a gunshot wound.

Officials said preliminary info indicated there was a noise dispute between a resident and a contracted tree trimmer, who works for The Davey Tree Expert Company, a large tree services company with several Chicagoland locations.

An individual was then armed and barricaded inside a home near where the tree trimmer was found shot. Police said the offender surrendered peacefully, and no other injuries were reported in connection to the incident.

Police, who used the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) to provide assistance during the incident, said they do not believe anyone else is involved in the shooting.

Around five hours before the alleged shooter was taken into custody, Village officials said police who responded to S. Braintree Dr. rendered medical aid to the person who was shot. The victim was then taken to a local hospital, and the Sun-Times reports the victim was in critical but stable condition.

As of early Thursday morning, police were still investigating the incident, and no charges had yet been filed against the alleged shooter who barricaded himself in a home.

The Davey Tree Expert Company returned Thursday to pick up the rest of the equipment left at the home where Wednesday’s shooting occurred. WGN also learned the homeowner is the person who called and contracted the tree trimmers to do the work on the property, but it’s not yet known if the suspect in the shooting is also the homeowner.

‘That’s crazy’

The victim’s employer released a statement Thursday morning addressing the incident.

“We were horrified and devastated to learn of the shooting of a Davey Tree employee at a jobsite in Schaumburg, Illinois,” Jennifer Lennox, director of public relations for The Davey Tree Expert Company, said in the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee, his family, and the teammates who witnessed this tragic incident. Our focus is on the health of our employee who was transported to the hospital.

“Davey Tree will be cooperating with authorities and thanks them for their quick response and service toward keeping our communities safe.”

Neighbors, meanwhile, were shocked about the incident, saying stuff like that is unusual for their quiet neighborhood  — or, in the case of this incident, in any neighborhood.

“I don’t think this happens anywhere,” Ken Weeks, a Schaumburg resident, said. “Who gets shot out of a tree? A guy comes out to trim a branch, and they shot him out of the tree.

“That’s crazy.”

“We don’t have much of anything like that around here,” said Ken Peters, also a Schaumburg resident. “This is definitely a first for me, as far as my experiences around here.

“So, yeah, it’s kind of weird.”

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