Two arrested for shots fired, domestic violence incidents in Decatur
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A weekend of violence in Decatur included the arrests of two people, Decatur Police said, for a shots-fired incident and an act of domestic violence.
Decatur Police Sergeant Brian Earles said the shooting incident happened in the area of Rogers and Maffit Street on Friday. Witnesses told officers they saw a Black male firing a gun in the area; no injuries were reported.
As officers investigated, they later gained permission from a nearby homeowner to search their property. Earles said the officer found a 16-year-old inside the home who matched the description witnesses provided of the shooter. Officers also found a 9mm handgun hidden in the basement.
Armed with probable cause, officers arrested the teen in connection to the shots that had been fired that evening. He was taken to a juvenile detention facility and booked on charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Earles added that the following morning, officers responded to a report of a person threatening his cousin. The victim reported that his cousin had arrived at his house at 4 a.m. and made threats to kill him and burn his house down. The offender was armed with a hatchet and acted as though he had a gun, even though it was not visible.
Earles said that when officers responded around 5 a.m., they ordered the offender to drop his weapons, which included the hatchet and a belt. He compiled and was detained.
The offender had two outstanding warrants for his arrest, Earles said, and he was booked into jail on those warrants along with new charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Under the Pretrial Fairness Act, the offender was given a notice to appear in court and was released from custody.
