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Russell\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>Lissau <\/strong><\/a>| Posted\u00a0September 16, 2026 12:26 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Six Des Plaines police officers who responded to the 911 call that preceded last week\u2019s fatal shooting of a resident are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an independent investigation.<\/p>\n That total includes the officer who shot Ayham Babidi as the 21-year-old advanced toward him while brandishing an electric hedge trimmer, said Cmdr. Matt Bowler, the department\u2019s spokesperson.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is standard protocol in this type of investigation,\u201d Bowler said via email Wednesday.<\/p>\n Officers went to the Babidi house on the 2000 block of East Touhy Avenue about 2:30 p.m. Sept. 9 because Babidi reportedly was acting violently and breaking windows, police have said.<\/p>\n Babidi\u2019s father later told the Daily Herald his son had bipolar disorder and was experiencing a mental health episode. He said his son had been hospitalized repeatedly because of his mental illness.<\/p>\n The first officer who arrived encountered Babidi in the front yard with the hedge trimmer, police have said. Babidi held the tool \u201cin a threatening manner\u201d while approaching the officer and refused commands to drop it, police have said.<\/p>\n Police have declined to say if the trimmer was running as Babidi approached.<\/p>\n The officer eventually shot Babidi, who died at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.<\/p>\n The Major Case Assistance Team is investigating. Police said they have video of the shooting from the camera in the officer\u2019s vehicle and residential security cameras, but they won\u2019t release it now to avoid compromising the investigation.<\/p>\n The officer wasn\u2019t able to activate his body-worn camera because the situation escalated quickly, police said. Investigators have video of the confrontation from the camera in the officer\u2019s vehicle and from residential security cameras, police have said, but they haven\u2019t released it to avoid compromising the investigation.<\/p>\n Des Plaines police were familiar with Babidi before the deadly confrontation. He was arrested Aug. 19 and charged with misdemeanor battery after he hit an officer responding to a disturbance at the home, authorities said.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations \u2014 a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group \u2014 issued a news release<\/strong><\/a> condemning the shooting and urging investigators to examine the officer\u2019s use of deadly force and his failure to activate his body camera. The group also questioned if opportunities to de-escalate the encounter were missed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo family should have to fear that seeking help for a loved one in a mental health crisis will end in their death,\u201d said Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of the council\u2019s Chicago office and a Des Plaines resident. \u201cAyham\u2019s family deserves\u00a0a full\u00a0accounting of the police response and whether officers took every reasonable opportunity to preserve his life.\u201d<\/p>\n Police on Wednesday remained fairly tight-lipped about the shooting and the investigation. For example, they\u2019ve declined to say if the hedge trimmer was on when Babidi was shot; to release information about the officer who shot Babidi; or to say how many officers were part of the initial response to the 911 call.<\/p>\n