2 teens, 1 woman arrested in shots fired incidents in Decatur (2024)

DECATUR — Two unrelated incidents of gun violence in Decatur ended up with police arresting several teenage boys and a 23-year-old woman.

The boys, aged 15 and 16, were taken into custody Friday evening after what police described as a street gun battle between “two feuding groups” in the area of East Condit and North Clinton streets. There were no reported injuries.

Sgt. Brandon Rolfs with the Decatur Police Department said patrol officers responded to multiple reports of gunfire around 8 p.m.

“A vehicle drove through the area and numerous subjects exited this vehicle to shoot at a rival group of teenagers that were on foot in the intersection of Condit and Clinton (streets),” he said. “There was more than one gunman doing the firing and someone in the other group of teenagers returned fire. Officers located at least 25 spent casings from shots fired and two residences were struck by gunfire.”

The suspects who had arrived by car then fled. Rolfs said officers traced the other group of teenagers to an address in the 1100 block of North Calhoun Street. They were then intercepted as they left the building and a later search of the premises turned up a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

“Of the four detained male teen subjects that we had, two of them aged 16 and 15 were charged (preliminarily) with the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and the aggravated discharge of a firearm,” Rolfs said. “And they were being held at a juvenile detention facility in Peoria.”

Police are now working to find and arrest the other gunmen involved. Rolfs praised the “co-operation of numerous citizens” who provided police with valuable information and said he hopes more people will come forward with information before there is more trouble.

“We encourage anyone who can help to reach out to us before the situation turns tragic, either for the persons involved in this violence or for innocent civilians in the neighborhoods that are getting shot-up,” he added.

The gun trouble involving the 23-year-old woman happened just before 1 a.m. Saturday when Rolfs said she opened fire at a car she believed was being used to stalk her.

“She claimed she saw a blue beam of some sort, meaning a laser sight, come from the driver’s window and she claimed she had heard a gunshot,” Rolfs said. “She then exited her house in the 800 block of North Pine Street and responded by shooting at the vehicle as it was traveling along an alley close to her house.”

Rolfs said the vehicle was hit three times, but the two men inside were not injured. After firing, the woman put the gun away in the house and called police to tell them what she had done, the sergeant said.

Rolfs also noted she went outside and got into an argument with the people in the car who were demanding she pay for the damage to their vehicle.

Officers found no evidence to corroborate the woman’s statements regarding the gunshot she heard and no other witnesses present heard gunfire other than the shots fired at the car, Rolfs said.

“The people in the vehicle gave a full statement to police, and they said that they didn't know why this woman shot at their car,” he said.

Rolfs said the use of deadly force can only be justified when a victim reasonably believes they are in danger of great bodily harm or death.

“And we found nothing to corroborate why this woman felt this way or any proof anything she said had even occurred,” he added.

The woman, who is a FOID card holder, was then booked on a preliminary charge of the aggravated discharge of a gun, and her 9 mm semiautomatic pistol was seized by police. All preliminary charges are subject to review by the office of the state’s attorney.

Anyone with information about a crime can contact detectives direct at 217-424-2734 or call Crime Stoppers at 217-423-8477.