Illinois State Police investigating off-duty officer. Colleague says he’s a hero.
Illinois State Police are continuing their investigation of an off-duty law-enforcement officer who fired at two armed people near a Centreville nightclub over the weekend.
In the meantime, a fellow officer is calling his colleague a hero.
“He saved at least 20 lives and maybe more,” said Centreville Detective DeMarius Thomas. “That man is a hero.”
State police have released few details about the incident, which occurred in the early morning hours Saturday near Club Onyx in the 200 block of Illinois 157 in Centreville, where the officer was working security.
According to a statement issued by ISP, the off-duty officer saw two suspects firing assault rifles at an occupied vehicle on Illinois 157, and returned the fire. One person was hit multiple times by gunfire from the armed suspect and remains in critical condition at a St. Louis hospital, Thomas said.
The officer’s name is being withheld pending the ongoing investigation, but it was later confirmed by Chief Dave Clark that he works for the Alorton Police Department.
Clark also said that he had issued a memo to officers on July 13 ordering officers to steer clear of Club Onyx, even if it was to work extra hours as security. Any officer that violated that order would be subject to disciplinary action, Clark said.
But Thomas said the officer should be praised for his actions, not disciplined. Thomas also is the Chief of Police for the East St. Louis Parks Department, where the officer in question also works.
“Instead of focusing on what police department the officer works for, everyone should be looking at the number of lives he saved,” said Thomas. “The guy (the shooter) jumped out of his vehicle with an assault rifle and there were 13-14 cars behind him. He could’ve hit multiple people. The officer ran to the gunfire and fired upon the guy with the rifle. He was able to deter him from executing that man he was shooting at.
“The focus should be on the heroic action the police officer took to save a man’s life.”
Illinois State Police have not indicated how long the investigation into the officer would take, though it said in a statement that only the actions of the officer is being investigated and if the use of force was justified. The results of their investigation will be turned over to the respective states attorney office for review.
“Because every investigation is different and the ISP wants to ensure all leads are followed, it is very difficult to successfully point to a conclusion time frame,” ISP Sgt. Christopher Watson said in an email to the Belleville News-Democrat. “Our goal is not to meet a deadline, it is to fully investigate the case to its conclusion to support victims and their families.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
