Beloit police officer cleared of fatal shooting in May

Cole Gille, a six-year law enforcement veteran, killed Gregory W. Tracy, 54, of South Beloit, Illinois, at a home in the 2000 block of Frederick Street on May 16, authorities said.

“The Rock County District Attorney has concluded that Tracy was shot and died as a direct result of his own actions,” Rock County District Attorney David J. O’Leary said in a news release Tuesday. He based his decision on an investigation by the state Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation.

The district attorney’s office said in a news release that on the day of the shooting, Tracy’s family members called 911 to report that Tracy was drunk and armed with two knives. Witnesses later told police that Tracy was an alcoholic who had recently relapsed.

Before police arrived on the scene, Tracy told a family member, “This is it. I’m not leaving here alive,” the district attorney’s office said, and that he stabbed his girlfriend and said, “Nobody leaves this residence alive.”

Officers found Tracy behind a screen door, holding two large knives and covered in blood, the district attorney’s office said, and while officers were talking to her, the victim escaped the home through a bedroom window. She was later found to have about 40 stab wounds to her torso and arms, a partially collapsed lung and internal bleeding.

Tracy refused to put down the knives and told police he had two grandchildren with him, one 3 1/2 years old and the other 18 months old, the district attorney’s office said.

Police planned to use a less-lethal weapon against Tracy, but before officers could open the door to the house, Tracy stood up and raised the knife above his shoulder, and Gille fired three shots, all of which hit Tracy.

Police later determined there were no children in the home, the district attorney’s office said.