Peoria man pleads not guilty to murder charges in Downtown Peoria shooting

A Peoria man has pled not guilty to first-degree murder charges for his alleged role in the shooting death of a 45-year-old man outside a Downtown Peoria bar in August.

Lacorles T. Edwards, 40, pled not guilty Thursday to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon for his alleged role in the shooting death of Sylvester L. Erving, 45, on Aug. 30 in the 500 block of Main Street in Downtown Peoria.

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According to the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office , police were called to the scene at 2:30 a.m. that morning in response to a person having been shot. Upon arrival, they found Erving unresponsive in the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the head.

He was soon transported to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center , where he was pronounced dead at 11:52 a.m.

Surveillance video was obtained and shown during a detention hearing last month showing Edwards approaching Erving and beginning an altercation that Erving tried to end at least twice. However, Edwards continued to fight before he pulled out a gun and shot him at close range, prosecutors said.

Edwards fled the scene and ditched the gun in a nearby bucket of water, which was later found by the Peoria Police Department . Eyewitnesses noted that Erving also had a gun, with the surveillance footage showing that another man, 44-year-old Walter Dearmond, picked up the gun, informing police that the gun he found was right next to Erving.

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Both Edwards and Dearmond are currently being held at the Peoria County Jail until trial. Edwards is set to go to trial on Nov. 18 at 9 a.m., with Circuit Judge Katherine Gorman presiding.

Dearmond is also set for trial on Nov. 18, with Circuit Judge Paul Gilfillan ‒ who presided over Edwards' arraignment hearing Thursday in Gorman's absence ‒ presiding.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria man pleads not guilty to murder charges in Downtown Peoria shooting