A 41-year-old Peoria man is dead after he was shot Tuesday afternoon during an alleged altercation with Peoria Police in the East Bluff neighborhood.
In a social media post Wednesday afternoon, Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood identified the man as Brandon Lewis.
A statement issued late Tuesday by Police Chief Eric Echevarria says officers responded shortly after 5 p.m. to reports of a suspicious person armed with a wooden bat near the intersection of NE Glen Oak Avenue and North Prospect Road.
Echevarria says the man began swinging the bat at police, striking one. The chief says one officer deployed a Taser, while another discharged a firearm.
After being taken into custody, Lewis became unresponsive. Attempts at life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Harwood reported Lewis suffered a single gunshot wound and died moments after the injury. He said no additional details would be released at this time.
Echevarria said the incident has been turned over to the Illinois State Police for independent investigation, according to standard protocol for a death related to officer-involved use of force.
The results of that investigation will be turned over to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.
