From the Office of the Chief
This letter is being submitted on behalf of board members from the Peoria Police Benevolent Association (PPBA) Unit #27 which represents the men and women of the Peoria Police Department and the Chief of Police.
Even though I have previously made a statement on the incident with Mr. George Floyd, the PPBA and I would like to reiterate that in no way do members of the PPBA agree with the actions of the Minneapolis Police Officers involved in the incident leading to the death of Mr. George Floyd. We are shocked and appalled by the officers’ actions from this incident and the officers that stood by and allowed it to happen. What we saw in the video goes against everything we have been taught and trained to do as a police officer and does not represent the officers of the Peoria Police Department. Our deepest sympathies go out to George Floyd’s friends and family. We recognize this incident has been devastating and our hearts go out to all those who mourn his passing.
Though the incident with Mr. George Floyd occurred in Minneapolis, it has sparked conversation, debates, and protests across the country surrounding deaths of African Americans during their interactions with the police. Locally, there have been protests involving the deaths of Eddie Russell Jr., Daniel El, Luis Cruz, David Smith, and Trashaun Shields. The officers involved in these incidents have had their actions, ethics, and integrity attacked in each of these cases.
We understand that transparency and communication is vital to building trust and having a healthy relationship with the community we serve. With that being said, we would like to re-share some facts on these incidents to provide the community with information needed to strengthen the community-police relationship and provide clarity on why the officers involved in these incidents responded the way they did. We would also like to point out that each of these cases have been, or are currently being investigated by an outside agency, namely the Illinois State Police, which is done in compliance to Illinois Statute 50 ILCS 727/1-1.
In the case of Eddie Russell Jr. that occurred on 9/20/17, an armed bank robbery occurred at First Mid-Illinois Bank, 3037 N Sterling Ave. Responding officers reviewed video footage from the bank and identified Eddie Russell Jr. as the suspect. Officers went to Russell’s mother’s house, which was close by, to look for him. Since this was an armed bank robbery, officers set up a perimeter and called out the Special Response Team. Officers attempted to contact anyone inside of the house to no avail. As officers were outside, Eddie Russell Jr. exited the residence with no warning. Russell was armed with a handgun and quickly walked towards an officer and began to raise the handgun. Officers feared Russell was going to shoot the officer, therefore, 6 officers fired nearly simultaneously striking Russell. Russell died as a result of this incident.
The Illinois State Police were called in to investigate the incident. During their investigation it was determined that the gun Russell was armed with matched the weapon he was seen possessing during the bank robbery.
After a complete and thorough investigation by the Illinois State Police and a review of the investigation by States Attorney Jerry Brady, Mr. Brady determined that the officers were justified in the use of deadly force.
An internal investigation was conducted by the Peoria Police Department and no policy violations were noted.
In the case of Daniel El that occurred on 2/01/18, officers conducted a traffic stop for a traffic violation. During the car stop, officers observed a handgun under El’s leg. Officers ordered El from the vehicle. Daniel El refused to exit the vehicle and ended up fleeing in the vehicle. Officers pursued Daniel El and he eventually lost control of the vehicle and crashed. Daniel El then fled the scene on foot. Officers chased El on foot but lost sight of him.
As officers were searching for El on foot, an officer went around a parked vehicle and was shot by El. Even though he was shot, the officer was able to immediately return fire. Two other officers who were close by also returned fire. El was struck and died as a result of this incident. The officer who was shot survived.
The Illinois State Police were called in to investigate the incident. It was determined that the gun El possessed was purchased by his girlfriend. Due to ShotSpotter technology, they were also able to determine that El fired at the officer first.
After a complete and thorough investigation by the Illinois State Police and a review of the investigation by States Attorney Jerry Brady, Mr. Brady determined that the officers were justified in the use of deadly force.
An internal investigation was conducted. No policy violations were noted.
In the case of Luis Cruz that occurred on 7/19/18, officers had been conducting surveillance at a location looking for Luis Cruz who was wanted in connection to a shooting that occurred on June 21st, 2018 in the 2700 block of NE Madison. The arrest message was for Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, and Aggravated Assault. Luis Cruz also had an active arrest message for Domestic Battery that occurred on May 28th, 2018.
Officers observed a vehicle leave the location they were surveilling. Officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle on Blaine between Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr and Widenham. Once the vehicle stopped, Cruz exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
During the foot pursuit, Cruz, who was seen holding a gun, began to turn towards one of the officers with the gun. Fearing that Cruz was going to shoot the officer, another officer shot Cruz. Cruz died as a result of this incident.
The Illinois State Police were called in to investigate the incident. The ISP Crime Lab located Cruz’s fingerprint on the magazine of the gun Cruz possessed during this incident.
After a complete and thorough investigation by the Illinois State Police and a review of the investigation by States Attorney Jerry Brady, Mr. Brady determined that the officers were justified in the use of deadly force.
An internal investigation was conducted. No policy violations were noted.
In the case of David Smith that occurred on 10/29/19, officers responded to an armed robbery that had occurred at the Johnson Mini Mart. During the armed robbery, the store clerk fought with the suspect, later identified as David Smith, and was able to get the handgun away from him. The suspect fled the store on foot. The handgun was recovered at the scene.
Officers began searching the area for Smith. An officer spotted Smith and began chasing him on foot. The officer lost sight of Smith. Officers continued looking for Smith. After a short amount of time, officers located Smith, who ran again from officers. He was then located laying down in a yard next to his residence. Officers went up to Smith and handcuffed him. Officers did not use any force on Smith. Officers stood Smith up to get him to their squad car. When they stood Smith up, Smith could not stand on his own. Officers carried Smith to the squad car. Smith’s lower body was limp, and his knees/feet were dragging on the ground while officers carried him to the car. Officers called for an ambulance to evaluate Smith.
Advanced Medical Transport (AMT) arrived and evaluated Smith. Paramedics evaluated Smith and released him to the officers.
An officer transported Smith to the station to be interviewed by detectives. When the transporting officer arrived at the station, he went into the station. The secondary officer watched Smith.
The secondary officer noticed Smith slumped over. With assistance from another officer, Smith was removed from the vehicle. Smith was unconscious. The officer called for an ambulance and immediately began performing life saving measures (CPR). Smith was transported to the hospital where he later died as a result of a congenital heart condition.
Even though officers did not use force on Smith, due to this being an in-custody death, I requested that ISP handle the investigation.
A complete and thorough investigation was conducted by the Illinois State Police and a review of the investigation was conducted by States Attorney Jodi Hoos. On 5/14/20 Ms. Hoos determined there would not be any criminal charges filed against the officers involved in this incident.
An internal investigation is currently being conducted.
In the case of Trashaun Shields that occurred on 5/16/20, officers responded to the 2000 block of N Lehman Rd regarding a report of over 20 shots fired. Multiple calls were received, some reporting over 40 shots fired and multiple vehicles driving at a high rate of speed from the area.
Upon arrival to the area, initial responding officers observed a white vehicle flee onto Lehman. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled, ultimately crashing into a fence in the area of Flint and Ardell. Two male occupants exited the vehicle and fled on foot. A foot pursuit ensued.
While chasing one of the suspects, later identified as Trashaun Shields, he fired upon the officers. The officers returned fire. Shields continued to run. Officers continued to chase him. While pursuing Shields, they lost sight of him. As they were searching the area for him, officers heard a single gunshot. Shields was found down behind a house in the 1900 block of Kansas. A gun was located underneath him. Shields was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
The Illinois State Police were called in to investigate the incident. The incident is still under investigation. A self-inflicted gunshot has not been ruled out.
Regarding the incidents listed above, there is no police officer that comes to work and wants to be involved in a shooting or death incident. The men and women of the Peoria Police Department are dedicated and will continue to be dedicated to protecting every member of this community. We hope that the facts presented today will help strengthen our relationship with the public. We want to conclude by saying that what happened to Mr. George Floyd is truly tragic and should have never happened. The men and women of the Peoria Police Department are highly trained professionals and we are confident that our officers would have handled the situation differently. We serve our community with pride and try our best to instill trust and confidence through all our interactions with the public.
Thank you,
Loren Marion III
Chief of Police
Statement from the Peoria Police Dept
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born2race2win1954!
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Thank you for posting this report regarding our Peoria Police Dept. In my opinion, it appears they are handling their jobs in an appropriate and safe manner in consideration of suspects, bystanders, and themselves, despite the dangerous situations they have to face on a day-to-day basis.
You only live once, so, live it with gusto!
