Illinois man killed after firing on police with rifle

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - A northern Illinois man opened fire on police with a semi-automatic rifle and was killed by an officer who returned fire.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Sam Thomas says the officer “had no other choice.”

Rockford police responding Friday to a call from the man’s wife heard gunfire from inside the home and from the backyard.

Thomas says 41-year-old Mark T. Farrar fired on officers from an enclosed porch.

Thomas is lead investigator with a task force that investigates shootings involving police in Winnebago and Boone counties.

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive, but Thomas tells the Rockford Register Star (https://bit.ly/1IEgHcw ) that Farrar was “despondent” about matters in his personal life.

___

Information from: Rockford Register Star, https://www.rrstar.com