Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin blasted Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain for remarks made about the Aurora Police Department regarding their handling of a fatal police shooting in 2023, where 38-year-old Jim Moriarty was killed by the sheriff's deputies after a vehicle chase and subsequent shootout, an incident now under official scrutiny with both sides refraining from full disclosures, reported The Chicago Sun-Times.
During a recent city council meeting, Irvin criticized Hain’s comments, stating that the sheriff's office destabilized an undercover Aurora police operation that aimed to detain Moriarty without incident. The Aurora Police Department claims deputies interfered by towing away Moriarty's car without regard for the ongoing operation, despite protests from local law enforcement, the Sun-Times reported. The engagement escalated the following day when Moriarty reportedly committed a carjacking and was later killed along with a police dog after a high-speed chase ended and gunfire was exchanged.
Hain had earlier criticized the Aurora police for being too cautious and suggested they should have taken more aggressive action, saying, "I would say they escalated things ... get a warrant, and go in to the apartment ... grab the guy", as he was quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times. In the same report, he admitted not realizing the full extent of the Aurora operation due to a lapse in information from his department, claiming that the intent was to remove Moriarty's car over concerns of substance abuse.
In retort, Mayor Irvin stated, "There is nothing reactive about trying to arrest a suspect using a coordinated effort with the least amount of force and exposing the subject, and our officers, to the least amount of danger possible," this according to the Chicago Tribune adding that the unfortunate chain of events might have been prevented if Aurora police were allowed to "do their jobs". Subsequent actions, including the towing of the vehicle, were later deemed regrettable, prompting a Kane County Sheriff's Department supervisor to issue an apology to their Aurora counterparts; Sheriff Hain too extended his apologies for the whole affair, as noted in the Sun-Times report.
Despite this, Mayor Irvin demanded more than just an apology from Hain, urging an acknowledgment for "his careless and consequential directives that night and his continued attack on the Aurora Police Department a year later," emphasizing that the sheriff’s rash decisions led to the irreversible loss of life, Irvin told the Chicago Sun-Times release.
