As a boy, Jason Ketter never recalls wanting to be anything other than a police officer — a natural aspiration since he grew up calling an Illinois State Trooper “Dad.”
After graduating high school, Ketter attended Sauk Valley (Ill.) Community College to study criminal justice. He then transitioned to the police academy in Champaign, Illinois, where he began his career as a police officer with the Rochelle (Ill.) Police Department in 1998. From the start, Jason knew he had chosen the right career.
After two years in Rochelle, Ketter transferred to the Ogle County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office. Over the next 24 years, he emerged as a natural leader. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, overseeing patrol operations and serving as commander of the SWAT team. In addition to his leadership roles, Ketter became a trainer, specializing in firearms, SWAT tactics, active attack scenarios and mass casualty coordinated response.
It was during his tenure as SWAT commander that he encountered the most challenging moment of his career — an experience that also deepened his passion for teaching officers.
Here’s what happened.
The call
On June 12, 2024, at about 8:00 a.m., a call was received at 911 dispatch.
A mother reported that her son was inside the residence with what Sheriff Brian VanVickle would later describe as “suicidal or homicidal ideations.” The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, including Ketter, was called out.
Negotiators immediately began their attempts to contact the man. Later, the sheriff would report that every available option to communicate with the man was utilized, including the delivery of a throw phone. He said, “60 attempts were made to contact the man,” but there was no response from inside the house.
With no indication of whether the man was dead, injured or even still inside the house, after three and a half hours, a plan was formulated to enter and check on the man’s welfare.
The attempted entry
As the team approached the door and received no response, they breached it. The breach was met with gunfire. Rounds fired by the shooter struck EMT Tyler Carls, as well as the shield and shield man, Sgt. Tad Dominski.
Dominski went down and was assisted to cover by a fellow officer, who executed a rescue drag using the strap on Dominski’s vest.
Ketter said that because of tunnel vision, he did not see anyone go down. He and two other officers immediately returned fire. While engaged in this desperate gun battle, Ketter told me, “I was hit with the sledgehammer in the face.” A round fired by the suspect had struck him.
Ketter, who was seriously wounded but still on his feet, scrambled to cover behind the corner of the garage.
At this moment in the interview, being a bit amazed, I asked Ketter, “You were shot in the face and you stayed on your feet?”
Ketter replied, “I’ve always had a never-quit attitude, so I thought I was still on my feet, I could see and breathe, so I was still in the fight. I was ready to go back in.”
The shots from inside ceased, and members of the team determined the suspect was down and incapacitated by return fire from the first entry team. The suspect was armed with multiple firearms, a fixed-blade knife and pepper spray while wearing body armor.
This body-worn camera footage captures the harrowing moment when the suspect opened fire, critically injuring three officers, including Lt. Ketter who was shot in the face.
On-scene treatment
As Ketter stood bleeding but still in the fight, his fellow team members saw the severity of his wound and, since the shooter was down, immediately turned their attention to Ketter. It must have been overwhelming to see their commander shot in the face but still standing.
A team member lowered him to the ground and their tactical EMT quickly assisted, turning him to his side to facilitate breathing and bandaging the gunshot wound to his face. Another officer did a thorough hand check of Jason to ensure he was not hit anywhere else.
Ketter’s concern shifted to his fellow officers. He was assured the others were going to be OK and the suspect was down. As it turned out, the EMT had been hit twice in the vest and the shield man was hit once in the arm — with his shield absorbing five rounds. Both officers were treated and released the same day. The EMT placed a compression bandage on Ketter’s face and determined he was stable.
After being bandaged, Ketter walked with assistance to a squad car and was driven to the command post, which was about a block away from the scene. From there, an ambulance transported him to the landing zone, where a helicopter transferred him to OSF Saint Anthony’s, a level-one trauma unit in Rockford, Illinois.
After arriving at the trauma unit, it seemed like only a short time before Ketter was buoyed by the arrival of his wife of 24 years, whom he describes as “a rock.” He recalled thinking, “I can relax now. She will ask the questions for me.”
To Ketter, his wife’s presence marked the beginning of his healing process. After scans and his first surgery, Ketter was released from the hospital after three days.
Fast-forward to present
As of this writing, Ketter has undergone four surgeries to repair the damage caused by the round that tore into his face. He has also been undergoing physical therapy.
Coming to emotional grips with his “new normal” has been a challenge, but he has faced it head-on. Ketter shared that he regularly attends a first responders counseling group and confirmed “it really helps!”
Although the shooter never knocked Ketter down, this group of fellow first responders has been instrumental in helping him emotionally recover.
“It was important for me to get back to work,” Ketter said. “No one is going to dictate to me when my career is over.”
He has returned to full duty and, remarkably, he has also resumed training.
“Initially, I felt embarrassed by being shot. As a trainer, I was the one who was supposed to keep others from being shot. Knowing the value of training, though, has kept me going.”
Since the incident, he has gained perspective, realizing his real-world experiences have added a new dimension to his training: “I was amazed by the total attention given to me by officers attending my training since the incident. It’s actually humbling.”
Wisdom shared
When I asked Ketter what he would pass on to our readers, he said:
- Be prepared!
- Be proficient with your equipment’s location, deployment and operation, so you are prepared to use it under extreme stress.
- Never underestimate how important your training is.
- Realize that you can never train too much for that day you pray never happens.
- If you are a first responder struggling physically or emotionally because of things you have experienced, don’t suffer alone. Look around. There is help out there for you!
Ketter has found a tremendous support system in his wife, their 21-year-old daughter, his fellow officers and the community of first responders.
He has returned to full duty as commander of the SWAT team and patrol. While he has no plans to retire, he said, “When I reach that point, I will continue to train.”
I can’t help but be amazed to think that even after he was hit in the face with that “sledgehammer,” Ketter was still on his feet.
As he did a quick self-assessment, Ketter’s thought at the moment could be valuable to any officer engaged in a desperate physical or emotional struggle.
That simple yet profound thought was: “You never quit! You’re still breathing; you’re still in the fight!”
