Friends and family are remembering Brian Howard, the Elgin man who was shot by Buffalo Grove police earlier this month, as someone who always tried to uplift people and put those around him at ease.

       His funeral was held Dec. 18 in Bartlett, and the family had established a GoFundMe crowd-sourcing fundraising effort to help raise money to pay for the services.

       Nicole “Nikki” Howard, who identified herself as Brian Howard’s sister in a phone interview with Pioneer Press, said while she was the older sibling by a couple years, Howard was always protective of her and their other sister, Howard’s twin, Danielle. Nikki Howard said her brother was the kind of person who would try and include everyone and make sure nobody was feeling left out.

       “Brian was everything and more,” she said. “He was my rock, he was my world, he was my protector, he was my best friend.”

       Just after midnight Dec. 2, Buffalo Grove police officials said a caller they identified as Brian Howard, 25, phoned 911 and said there was a man near Boxwood Lane and Radcliffe Road, in the village, with a pair of guns. After inquiring further, Howard told dispatch that the man was him, officials said.

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       Two police officers then responded to the incident, and after officers reportedly told Howard to put his weapons down, he began to get closer to the officers while shooting more, the police chief said at a news conference in the hours following the incident. Authorities said it was unclear if Howard was shooting at the officers or into the air. The two police officers at the scene then opened fire on Howard, who died shortly after.

       Following the shooting, police Chief Steven Casstevens said this was the first officer-involved shooting in Buffalo Grove. He also said there is a police squad card dashcam recording of the shooting. The video has not yet been publicly released.

       Some in Howard’s family have taken a stance against the police’s fatal actions that night. Nikki Howard said that her brother called 911 seeking help. She also thinks the police should have called someone who knew her brother, or officers should have tried to further de-escalate the situation.

       “Basically, he needed help,” she said.

       Nikki Howard told Pioneer Press that her brother had personally dealt with mental health issues. It initially began as anxiety, but over time grew into depression, she said.

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       Though things were moving in the right direction for a time, Nikki said. But, she said, Brian Howard was seemingly getting back to himself. He had graduated with honors from community college and was on his way to a four-year university. But the death of a close friend, as well as several other factors, began affecting him, causing him more issues.

       Still, Nikki Howard said she never expected something like the fatal shooting to happen.

       “He wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Nikki said. “There’s no way that he would ever, ever, ever, ever murder, hurt, or anything.”

       Following the shooting, Casstevens in a news conference defended the officers’ actions. The two officers involved were placed on administrative leave, per department policy, the chief explained.

       A day after Brian Howard’s funeral, police officials confirmed that the officers are still on leave while the case is investigated by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

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       “No officer ever wants to take the life of another person,” the chief said at the Dec. 2 news conference. “All our officers are trained in de-escalation and critical incident response and mental health first aid. That being said, officers are often placed in split-second decisions where they are forced to take action that unfortunately results in deadly force.”

       An obituary for Brian Howard says he played football at Buffalo Grove and South Elgin high schools, and enjoyed hanging out with his friends. He was also an IndyCar Series fan and liked playing video games and watching the Chicago Bears.

       Howard is survived by his parents, Kenneth Howard and Kristine Howard, step-mother Patricia; sisters, Nikki and Danielle; and his step-siblings Amanda Tarver, Amber Ghegan and Austin VerVynck, according to the obituary.

       Elgin man shot by Buffalo Grove police remembered as ‘rock’ and someone always there for people, protective of family. Officers remain on administrative leave.

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