A routine traffic stop resulted in a police chase that has left a Peoria Heights man dead and an officer wounded. Three Peoria Police Officers were involved in the fatal shooting, days after six officers were cleared in last September’s fatal shooting of Eddie Russell Jr.
The incident began when officers stopped a car near Western and Lincoln at 2:27 a.m. for a stop sign violation and expired registration.
Police Chief Jerry Mitchell says officers first detained a passenger. “Officers re-approached the car at which time the driver put the car in gear and fled the scene. The drive lost control of the vehicle at Garden and Warren and fled on foot. Officers located the suspect in the 2700 block of SW Jefferson where there was an exchange of gunfire.”
The suspect, 33-year-old Daniel El of Peoria Heights, was pronounced dead at 3:23 a.m. Thursday at OSF HealthCare, about an hour after the initial traffic stop.
Pastor Samuel Duren, representing the Greater Peoria Area Pastors, calls for peace while the state police investigate the incident.
“We definitely suffered another tragedy within our community and also we see the injury upon our police. But we also want peace in our community as we have all these questions awaiting for the investigation to come out. We pray that we can all act in a way honoring that situation and work together to get healing in our community.”
An officer was shot in the mid-torso and is in stable condition. One of the officers in this shooting was also one of the six officers involved in the Eddie Russell shooting.
There is no body camera video but there may be dash camera video. The three officers are on leave, and Illinois State Police will handle the investigation.