Teen arrested in connection with deadly shooting in Peoria's North Valley

PEORIA − A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in Peoria's North Valley last week.

The teen was taken into custody Wednesday after officers and members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force found him in the 1000 block of Main Street, according to Semone Roth, a spokeswoman for the Peoria Police Department.

The boy is accused of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting on Sept. 20 of Christopher L. Tillman, 46, of Mableton, Georgia, formerly of Peoria.

Roth said that officers identified the teen as a suspect. When officers tried to detain him Wednesday, he took off running and allegedly dropped a loaded handgun, Roth said. He was taken into custody a short time later and the gun was recovered, Roth said.

The boy was taken to the police station where he was also arrested on charges of possession of a handgun by a person under 21, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He also had an active Peoria County warrant for unlawful possession of a weapon.He was taken to the county's Juvenile Detention Center.

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Roth said officers were called to the 800 block of NE Madison Avenue just before 9 p.m. Sept, 20, after the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system indicated that five rounds had been fired. Callers also told dispatchers that a person had been shot. Tillman was rushed to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

He was the city's 18th homicide of the year.

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Anyone with information regarding this homicide is asked to contact police at (309) 494-8397 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (309) 673-9000.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Teen arrested in connection of fatal shooting of Georgia man in Peoria