Peoria County State's Attorney Jerry Brady has ruled that a Peoria police officer acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a 19-year-old man who fled from a vehicle after a traffic stop.
Brady said Thursday he made that decision even though he had doubts about why police chased the car in which Luis Cruz was a passenger. Cruz was wanted in connection with previous shooting and domestic battery incidents and that officers followed him for hours before the July 19 confrontation.
Brady says Peoria Officers Ryan Isonhart and Nick Mason said Cruz pointed a handgun toward Mason before Isonhart fired at Cruz.
Cruz was the third person fatally shot by Peoria officers within a year. All three have been ruled justified.
Brady Rules that Shooting of Luis Cruz was Justified
Peoria Public Radio
