Police have contained the suspect in the Thursday shooting death of a U.S. marshal and are in negotiations.
A manhunt was underway in Illinois for much of Thursday after a man allegedly shot and killed a U.S. marshal who was serving an arrest warrant. Law enforcement say Floyd Brown, 45, is the suspect in the shooting and that a rifle was used. The incident unfolded at a hotel in Rockford, Ill.
Aerial photos of the earlier scene showed a large police response to the reports of an active shooter situation.
BREAKING: Task force officer shot in Rockford, active-shooter situation underway; Chopper 7HD on the scene – https://t.co/lbr98U55bj pic.twitter.com/RwSzkha5gv
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) March 7, 2019
Rockford Police Lt. Andre Brass held a news briefing outside of the hotel earlier in the day where he said Brown was believed to be armed and dangerous.
ABC7 Chicago reports the suspect was seen heading south toward Lincoln, Ill., “traveling at 100 miles-per-hour or more, pointing his weapon out of his vehicle. The car then reportedly spun out near mile marker 132 and may have landed in a creek.”
Illinois State Police now say Brown is barricaded inside his vehicle on Interstate 55 where both lanes of traffic are shut down. SWAT has contained Brown and negotiations are underway, but no arrest has been made. Police say that in addition to the fallen officer, a female individual was found shot in the hotel room after Brown fled Thursday morning. Police say the female was shot by Brown, not law enforcement, and is expected to recover.
The state’s attorney’s office issued an arrest warrant with a $5 million bond after the officer was shot. The officer was taken to a hospital, but later died of his injuries.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted Thursday he is closely monitoring the situation and urged “members of the community to follow the instructions of local law enforcement. My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the officer shot, his family, first responders & residents affected by this situation.”
I am closely monitoring the active shooter incident in Rockford and urge members of the community to follow the instructions of local law enforcement. My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the officer shot, his family, first responders & residents affected by this situation.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) March 7, 2019
The situation is ongoing and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting police.
