Alleged gunman may lose hand

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State police and Will County sheriff's personnel investigate near Mae Street and Kahler Road in Wilmington, Ill., where Wilmington police shot and apprehended an alleged armed man Monday, January 30, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 2, 2012 8:17AM

WILMINGTON — A man who was shot by police after allegedly pointing a look-alike gun at them Monday remains hospitalized.

Reports indicate the bullet that struck Nathan Reeves fragmented and may necessitate amputation of his hand.

Reeves, 28, reportedly called 911 at 12:19 p.m. claiming he had a gun and was preparing “to wreak terror on this earth.” Reeves allegedly came out of his East Kahler Road apartment wearing a ski mask and camouflage clothing and took aim at a passing driver before police arrived.

“He pointed the gun at my face as I drove past him … a few seconds before the cops got there,” said a woman, who asked not to be identified.

“The weapon was an airsoft AK-47 that resembled the real thing,” Chief Darin Plotts said.

Reeves reportedly altered the rifle to obscure the orange tip that indicates it fires pellets, not bullets.

“It looked real,” said the driver, who later gave a statement to police.

The masked man ran into a residential neighborhood and stopped in a backyard in the 900 block of Luther Drive as more police arrived.

“He was lying prone and when he was told to drop the weapon, he aimed toward the officers,” Plotts said.

The prone position gives shooters extra stability for accuracy and makes them smaller targets.

Reeves was taken to Provena St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee, but was later transferred to a hospital in Chicago where he remained Tuesday.

A Wilmington officer was stationed at the hospital to place Reeves under arrest when he is discharged, Plotts said.

Will County sheriff’s police investigating the police shooting of Reeves questioned him Monday night.