Wheeling man sentenced to 57 years for shooting ISP trooper, holding another at gunpoint during traffic stop

Volodymyr Dragan

A Wheeling man has been sentenced to 57 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for attempted murder of an Illinois State Police trooper and unlawful restraint of another trooper.

Volodymyr Dragan, 46, has been housed at the Cook County Jail since August 2019.

On Aug. 15, 2019, ISP officers executed an arrest/search warrant for Dragen at his residence.

The warrant stemmed from an earlier incident in which Dragen held an ISP trooper at gunpoint during a traffic stop.

While executing the warrant, shots were fired from inside Dragen's residence, and an officer was shot through the forearm, authorities said.

The officer sustained life-threatening injuries, and later recovered.

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"Due to the tireless efforts of the ISP, our law enforcement partners and the assistant state’s attorneys in this case, this dangerous individual has been brought to justice," stated ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. "The ISP appreciates the court’s strong sentence as we continue our fight to make Illinois safer, not just for members of law enforcement, but for every resident of Illinois."

At the time of the shooting, the trooper, who was 32, was a five-year veteran of the ISP. He has since returned to full duty, authorities said.