Two Peoria Police officers have been placed on critical incident leave following the fatal shooting of a man armed with a wooden bat Tuesday in the East Bluff neighborhood.
Police Chief Eric Echevarria issued a statement Thursday identifying officers Veronica Orozco and Da’Monte Williams as the two who were involved in the incident that resulted in the death of Brandon Lewis, 41.
Original information from the police department said officers encountered Lewis after they responded to reports of a suspicious person near Glen Oak Avenue and Prospect Road. Lewis allegedly swung the bat at officers, and struck one of them.
One of the officers deployed a Taser, while another discharged a firearm. The department has not identified which officer took which action.
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said Lewis suffered a single gunshot wound and died moments after the injury.
In his statement Thursday, Echevarria said new Illinois State Police protocols regarding investigations officer-involved use of deadly force required the Peoria Police Department to sign official paperwork explicitly giving the state police lead authority over public communication about the incident.
Echevarria said his department was given permission to confirm the identity of the officers. His statement said they are unable to provide any additional information at this time.
The shooting remains under investigation by the state police. Echevarria previously said the results of that investigation will be turned over to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.
