Domestic disturbance ends in fatal shooting by St. Clair County deputy

A 69-year-old man is dead following an armed confrontation with St. Clair County deputies Thursday night, according to the sheriff’s department.

Police were dispatched to the 5000 block of Schmidt Lane, in an unincorporated rural area south of Belleville and east of Millstadt, to investigate a reported domestic disturbance at about 7:46 p.m.

According to a sheriff’s department release, a man at the scene discharged a weapon multiple times and confronted the “numerous uniformed officers” while still armed. One of the deputies discharged his gun, striking the man.

The man, who the sheriff’s department has not yet identified pending notification of family, died from his injuries, the release stated.

“Sadly, throughout the country, calls for domestic violence and subjects experiencing mental health crisis continue to be the most dangerous and volatile situations law enforcement officers respond to on a consistent basis,” sheriff’s department Lt. James Hendricks stated in the release.

St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson has requested the incident be investigated by Illinois State Police. No further information has been released.

This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 6:47 AM.