Southern Illinois sees third officer-involved shooting since May 22

Southern Illinois’ third officer-involved shooting in the past 12 days happened early Wednesday in Mount Vernon.

No one was was killed, and the officer was not injured.

At approximately 2:43 a.m., the Mount Vernon Police Department responded to a call of an armed robbery at a gas station in the 1800 block of South 10th Street in Mount Vernon.

According to a news release from the Illinois State Police, a preliminary investigation indicates a Mount Vernon Police Department officer encountered an individual who matched the description of the suspect involved in the armed robbery. As the Mount Vernon officer approached the suspect, Fredrick Goss, a 55-year-old man from Mount Vernon, fled on foot, police said.

The Mount Vernon officer chased Goss on foot, and, during the foot chase, gunfire was exchanged between Goss and the officer, according to the news release. Goss was struck by gunfire and transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The officer was uninjured. A gun was recovered at the scene along with evidence relating to the armed robbery, the news release noted.

ISP Zone 7 Investigations will handle the investigation.

Previously, on May 23, a Red Bud police officer fatally shot a man, according to a news release from ISP.

The man was driving a motorcycle at excessive speeds and carrying a backpack full of methamphetamine, according to the Randolph County prosecutor.

Red Bud police officer Luke Horrell shot Timothy J. Snyder, 27, of St. Charles, Missouri, just before 1:30 a.m. May 23, after Snyder shot officer Michael Collins in the leg during a struggle, according to State’s Attorney Jeremy Walker.

Snyder was pronounced dead at the scene. Collins was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis, where he was treated and released.

Preliminary information indicates the shooting was justified, Walker said May 24 during a news conference at the county courthouse in Chester.

Horrell has been placed on administrative leave pending an Illinois State Police investigation, per Red Bud police department protocol.

On May 22, a Troy police officer fatally shot an Oklahoma man during a standoff, according to a news release from ISP.

In that instance, police were dispatched around 7 p.m. May 22 on calls of an active shooter in the parking lot of TA Gas Station in Troy. The shooter was identified as Kody C. Waters, a 31-year-old male from Dewey, Oklahoma.

Police said they believed Waters was suicidal. When the first officer arrived on the scene, Waters was firing a gun into the air. ISP Zone 6 is investigating the case.

This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 1:52 PM.