OREGON — Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said July 9 that “things are starting to return to normal” for both his office and the Ogle County Emergency Response Team following the June 12 shooting in Lost Nation that resulted in three ERT members and a barricaded subject being shot.
On the morning of June 12, members of the Ogle County ERT responded to 402 Wild Rice Lane in Lost Nation after a call from a parent regarding their adult son having suicidal and homicidal ideations. Information provided by the family member also indicated the suspect was armed with multiple firearms and it was found his FOID card was revoked due to a clear and present danger report. Over 50 calls were made to the residence by a hostage negotiator with no response seen.
“The information we got from the family member was that this was very likely going to be suicide by cop-like situation,” VanVickle said June 12. “There was nobody else in the residence. The family member that called was not at the residence. The suspect was in the residence by himself and we had that confirmed by the family member. We believed his intention was to harm police officers. That's the information the family member told us.”
The Ogle County ERT then entered the residence and was immediately met with gunfire, before returning fire and incapacitating Jonathon Gounaris, 32, of rural Dixon. In the exchange, Ogle County ERT Members Tyler Carls (Rochelle Fire Department), Lt. Jason Ketter (Ogle County Sheriff's Office) and Sgt. Tad Dominski (Oregon Police Department) were hit.
Gounaris was located inside the front door of the residence with a gunshot wound. He was armed with two handguns, a fixed-blade knife, pepper spray and ballistic armor.
Gounaris was arrested on a no bond warrant and charged June 18 with four counts of attempted first degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card stemming from the incident. The investigation into the incident was handled by the Illinois State Police and charges were handed down by the Ogle County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The Ogle County ERT is made up of individuals from different agencies including the Ogle County Sheriff's Office, the Oregon Police Department and the Byron Police Department as well as SWAT medics from the Rochelle Fire Department.
Carls and Dominski were transported to KSB Hospital and treated for their injuries and released the same day. Ketter was flown to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, underwent surgery, and was released on Friday, June 14. Gounaris underwent surgery and was released from the hospital before being arrested. He is currently housed at the Winnebago County Jail as his court case unfolds.
VanVickle said July 9 that Carls and Dominski have returned to work and that Ketter is still on leave due to needing another surgery.
“Everybody is doing well,” VanVickle said. “It's just a process. We've provided a lot of help to the deputies that were involved. It's been a lot of emotional support, that's the main piece of it. It's been well-received by most.”
The Ogle County ERT is currently on hold due to “quite a bit” of its equipment being taken due to the investigation into the Lost Nation incident and needed training to ensure there are no lingering concerns for members from the June 12 shooting.
If an emergency response is needed, Ogle County would be covered by SWAT teams from Carroll/Jo Daviess counties and Stephenson County. Those teams have been used locally in the month since the Lost Nation event.
“Our biggest issue at this point is equipment,” VanVickle said. “That is equipment built for ERT team members like ballistic vests and helmets and things like that. Those things have to be reordered and some of it takes months to get. Our manufacturers have put a rush on new equipment, knowing the situation. It will still be a few months. We've got training coming up this week to try to get them back reacclimated to the work. They'll be in a facility that has a live shoot house this week for three days. Just putting the work back in to try to get back up to speed and make sure there aren't any lingering concerns both physically and psychologically. That's part of the rebuilding piece.”
VanVickle said a true ERT call where the team is actually deployed typically happens about 4-5 times a year. That number has already been reached for 2024 due to an increase in warrants from the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office special operations drug unit and an increase in mental health-related calls, he said.
The Sheriff’s Office has utilized a peer support system in getting its employees mental health help both since and before last month’s critical incident. VanVickle said he’s found that “everybody needs something a little bit different” when it comes to mental health.
“Someone may need to go to the shooting range to refocus on their shooting because that piece settles their mind and makes them feel they can do the job,” VanVickle said. “Another person may just need to talk to someone. Another person may just have concerns in general, so we put another deputy with them to go out and make traffic stops and just get acclimated to high-intensity situations. We've found there is no single answer. One of the benefits of being a small agency like we are is we're able to know that intimate detail that our deputies need and be able to provide that to them. And some people don't necessarily need counseling, they just need time away from the job with their families. We're able to see that and talk with their families and understand the need and make sure they get what they need to return to work and serve the community.”
Along with its peer support system, the sheriff’s office offers connections to mental health organizations and a chaplain. VanVickle said he wants those with mental health needs to find what works for them so they can be good deputies and family members to their loved ones.
VanVickle said that reports indicate that police officers see 400-600 traumatic events during their career, while the general public sees less than five. He’s seen mental health resources become more available during his law enforcement career.
“The biggest issue with dealing with traumatic events on this job years ago, and I was part of it, was basically you just put it in a box and you put it in a drawer and close the drawer and you moved on,” VanVickle said. “We've learned that's not a really great way to deal with things. This is a good change and it's gotten our employees help in a much more timely manner and we've been able to return them to a much more normal life in a much faster fashion.”
A handful of times since the Lost Nation incident a month ago, VanVickle has referred to the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office and the ERT as a family. As sheriff for nearly 10 years, he’s been involved with the hiring of most employees of the office.
“You see people have kids and get married, so you've been part of their life and their family and vice versa,” VanVickle said. “We spend Christmas and birthday parties together. They truly are part of the family and that's a huge benefit you have working at a smaller agency like ours.”
