At 1:00 a.m. Monday morning Decatur Police responded to information that a person in the vicinity of E. Main Street was armed with a handgun. Two white officers encountered a man matching the description. During the engagement, one officer fired his weapon, striking the suspect. EMS was immediately called to the scene and the suspect was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the chest.
The suspect was identified as a 40-year-old, black male, who is a resident of Decatur.
The investigation of the incident has been turned over to the Illinois State Police. While the two officers involved, a five and four year veteran of the Decatur Police Department, were not equipped with body cameras, footage was captured by in-car video equipment in their squad cars. Interim Decatur Police Chief James Getz asked the public to remain calm during the ongoing investigation.
UPDATE: Police have released additional details on the officer-involved shooting in Decatur this morning. The suspect has been identified as 40-year-old Lonnie D. Mitchell the 2nd, a Decatur resident. He was armed with a realistic looking BB gun and a knife at the time he was shot. The two officers involved are Andrew Whittmer and Jason Danner. Officer Whittmer fired one shot at the Mitchell during the encounter.