Sheriff interfered in Aurora’s investigation into man shot by officers

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin criticized Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, saying the sheriff interfered with Aurora police investigations that ultimately led to officers shooting a man a day later.

The mayor made the remarks at Tuesday’s City Council meeting in response to Hain’s comments in a Chicago Sun-Times article about the death of 38-year-old James J. Moriarty of Aurora in a shooting on May 24, 2023, on the Geneva-Batavia border.

The death could have been prevented, Irvin said, if officers had not thwarted Aurora police’s plan to arrest Moriarty the previous day.

“Why a county sheriff would interfere in a city police operation is beyond me. Although the sheriff’s office has jurisdiction over the entire county, common sense should have dictated that he let our officers direct the operation that was already underway within the city limits of Aurora, where the Aurora Police Department has ultimate jurisdiction,” Irvin said.

Hain declined to comment.

Ron Hain, Sheriff of Kane County

Irvin said that on May 23, 2023, undercover Aurora detectives stood outside Moriarty’s home and waited next to his parked car to arrest him “in the safest way possible.” Moriarty had been involved in several crimes in Aurora over the past two days.

“Unfortunately, this operation was jeopardized when deputies arrived on scene under direct orders from Sheriff Hain and seized Moriarty’s vehicle – despite our officers’ immediate explanation of what they were doing and why during this APD operation,” Irvin said.

Kane County deputies and officers from several police departments are investigating a shooting at Fabyan Parkway and Randall Road on the Geneva-Batavia border on May 24, 2023.
Daily Herald archive photo/May 2023

Aurora police then left the scene because they believed their cover had been blown, the article says.

The next day, Moriarty was suspected of stealing a woman’s car in Aurora. A license plate camera recorded a hit in Elgin around 2:30 p.m. A Kane County officer began pursuing the stolen car near Randall and Silver Glen roads near South Elgin, Hain said.

The car crashed into another car at the corner of Randall and Fabyan. According to Hain, Moriarty got out, a sheriff’s dog tried to arrest him, Moriarty displayed a gun and three officers shot him.

Hain told the Sun-Times he did not know the extent of the operation in Aurora because a subordinate withheld details from him. He described the car as a weapon and said he stood by his actions in seizing it.

Hain also called the Aurora Police Department “reactive” for “just waiting to see what happens” and described his department as “proactive.”

“This type of police work involves luring someone in to start a chase,” Hain is quoted as saying in the article. “I would say they escalated the situation. … Get a search warrant and go to the apartment. … Get the guy.”

Chase ends in fatal shooting on Randall Road; suspect and police dog killed

Irvin said Hain should apologize for “his careless and consequential orders that night and his continued attack on the Aurora Police Department a year later.”

The man killed by Kane County officers had just been charged with robbery and fleeing from police in two other cases

“The error that led to the unfortunate loss of life was his and his alone,” Irvin said, “and he should take responsibility for it rather than spreading inappropriate and unsubstantiated speculation, rumors and insinuations.”

The shooting remains under investigation.