Springfield Police Chief shares more details on officer-involved shooting

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette and Mayor Misty Buscher held a news conference Thursday afternoon to share more details on an officer-involved shooting during an investigative traffic stop .

“Last night, at approximately 11:30 p.m., in a matter of seconds, multiple officers were thrust into a situation where they were fired upon, and forced to use deadly force,” Scarlette said during the news conference.

Scarlette said the situation on South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive started as an investigative stop in regard to a shooting at an occupied home earlier that evening. Officers were able to locate the vehicle used in that shooting and identified the two people inside as matching the description of the shooter and the driver of the car the shooter left in.

The suspect, only identified as a 19-year-old male, initially refused officers’ order to leave the car from the front passenger seat. When he finally got out, Scarlette said he evaded arrest and turned to flee. While running, the teenager fired a handgun in the direction of two officers.

An officer fired back, hitting the suspect in the back and the leg.

Officers called for medical assistance and started giving the teenager first aid within seconds. The victim is currently in stable condition at a hospital.

The four Springfield Police officers on the scene have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy.

Scarlette said the teenager is also a suspect in an aggravated robbery last month at a business on Jefferson Avenue near Walnut Street.

The Springfield Police Department has met with several community groups including the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, Black Lives Matter Springfield and the Community Health Roundtable after the shooting.

The Illinois State Police is investigating the incident. Scarlette vows to release the body-camera footage after the investigation is complete.

Scarlette added that while Illinois State Police were conducting their investigation on scene, people nearby grew agitated. They yelled profanities, lobbed bottles and one person threw a brick into a window of a Springfield Police car.

“It is imperative that we remain peaceful until all facts are found,” Scarlette said.

The mayor and police chief have visited the suspect in the hospital and met with his family already, Buscher said. She said it’s important to pray for their healing and strength.

“I’m asking for prayer for this person,” the mayor said.

Scarlette said no arrests have been made in relation to the incident yet.

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