Illinois shooting: 2 police officers injured, suspect gunned down

Illinois residents were handed a shock on Wednesday, October 11, when a shooting incident left two police officers with gunshot injuries, while a suspect died. The incident took place early Wednesday morning in Decatur, Illinois, authorities confirmed.

The police officers who were shot and injured were conducting traffic stops early Wednesday morning when a gun battle emerged between them and the shooter. The officers decided to stop a car at around 12:30 am in Decatur and ordered the driver to show his hands. The driver, in turn, did not comply with the officers’ order, Shane Brandel, the Decatur Police Chief confirmed in a news release.

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It was at this time that one of the two officers spotted what appeared to be a handgun near the driver inside the vehicle, following which they attempted to get him out of the car. The driver fired several rounds aimed at the police officers using the handgun at close range, Brandel revealed.

One of the officers was shot multiple times while another suffered only one shot. They returned fire at the suspect, who kept firing at the police officers. The suspect was subsequently shot several times by the officers and was later pronounced dead at a hospital in the city, the police chief stated.

Meanwhile, the officers who were shot were also rushed to a nearby hospital. The condition of one of the officers was serious, prompting the doctors to operate on him, the police chief revealed.

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Julie Moore Wolfe, the Mayor of Decatur, confirmed that the injuries suffered by both officers were serious, however, said that both will recover.

According to the Decatur Police Chief, three officers from the city and one deputy from Macon County Sheriff’s Office fired at the suspect in the gun battle. He also said that an investigation will be conducted into the incident by the Illinois State Police, which is the standard procedure in such cases.