Man charged with death of Knox County deputy heard repeating 'I see dead people'

GALESBURG — Rebecca Miller was behind the register of the Circle K convenience store on East Main Street when a man walked in repeating the words “I see dead people” over and over.

Miller said she heard the man repeating the phrase as he walked into the store around 7:30 a.m. on April 29 and that he continued to repeat it as he placed $10 on the counter for pump No. 4 and walked back out to his car.

“The whole time he kept saying ‘I see dead people.’ He didn't look at me, he didn't speak to me, nothing,” Miller said.

Shortly after he walked out, another customer came in to tell Miller they believed the man at pump No. 4 had a gun.

Miller looked out the window and saw the man who had been repeating “I see dead people” try to stuff a black handgun into his pocket before swinging it around at the ground.

Miller would recognize his face in the news later that day as Daylon Richardson, 22, of Granite City, the man police have now accused of crashing his vehicle into and killing Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist.

From behind the register, Miller tried to stay calm.

“I was nervous, I was scared because I didn't know exactly what his intentions were,” Miller said. “So I just kept my calm because I'm the cashier, I have a whole line of people, I don't want to freak them out.”

Miller said that Richardson finished filling up his car, which she remembers as gray-green, and started “mean-mugging” three other customers who were standing in the Circle K parking lot. Richardson then got into his car and slowly drove past the customers.

As his car crawled by, Miller saw Richardson stick his handgun out the window of his car window and point it at the group, motioning like he shot each one without actually pulling the trigger.

“It was like 'pop, pop, pop,”' Miller said. “Straight at them.”

It was then that Miller knew someone needed to call the police. Richardson turned onto Main Street in the direction of downtown and the other staff member in the Circle K called 911.

At 8 a.m. on April 29, Galesburg police officers responded to a 911 call of a suspect with a gun at the Circle K convenience store and gas station on East Main Street in Galesburg. The Galesburg officers located the suspect's vehicle, a green Ford Taurus, and attempted to make a traffic stop on Henderson Street, but the suspect continued to flee north on U.S Route 150.

The pursuing Galesburg police officer observed a handgun displayed through the roof of the suspect's vehicle and advised that shots were being fired at police.

The suspect is accused of striking Weist with his car after running through spike strips  placed at the intersection of U.S Route 150 and 150th Avenue. Illinois State Police have said that a preliminary autopsy report showed Weist died from multiple blunt-force wounds.

According to police, Richardson ran from the wrecked Taurus and was captured by police and taken into custody. Police recovered a black Smith & Wesson handgun from outside the Taurus and a cell phone that contained pictures of Richardson holding a similar looking weapon, including one time-stamped from that day at 7:27 a.m.

After Richardson pled not-guilty on Monday, a jury trial conference is scheduled for June 16, a final pretrial for June 27 and the official jury trial is set to begin July 5 in the Henry County courthouse.

Miller, who has worked in management at the East Main Street Circle K for over a year, said she realized after the incident was over that Richardson never went back into his car before brandishing his gun.

She believes Richardson most likely had the weapon on him as he walked into the store repeating the words “I see dead people.”

“I've been a cashier for many years and I've never had to deal with a situation like this," Miller said. "Now whenever somebody wears baggy clothes, now it does kind of scare me,” Miller said. “But I just put all that aside because I'm not going to let that bother me and my job.”

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Clerk recalls encounter with suspect charged in sheriff's deputy death