After a multi-state crime spree, the suspect in the shooting death of an ISP trooper has been apprehended.
Illinois State Police have captured a guy who they claim shot a sheriff’s officer in the head in Wayne County on Wednesday, then embarked on a rash of crimes that culminated with him holding numerous people hostage inside a home.
Ray Tate, 40, was apprehended by a SWAT squad on Wednesday afternoon, only hours after allegedly shooting and killing a police officer on Interstate 64, according to investigators.
At about 5 a.m., Illinois State Police were sent to Wayne County, in far southern Illinois, to help with an officer-involved shooting. According to officials, at the same time, Deputy Sean Riley of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department was sent to help a driver near milepost 115 on Interstate 64.
Riley had been shot to death, and his squad vehicle had been taken when another officer arrived on the scene. It was discovered not long after he was slain, just east of where he was killed.
The suspect in the case subsequently carjacked a semi-truck at the same site, according to police. According to investigators, the truck driver was compelled to take Tate to a petrol station in St. Peters, Missouri.
Tate reportedly abducted a victim and forced them to take him back to Carlyle, Illinois, after a series of carjackings, robberies, and shootings occurred there.
Tate then reportedly stormed into a residence and kidnapped the homeowner, as well as the vehicle’s driver, from there.
An ISP SWAT squad entered the house at around 1:42 p.m. and brought Tate into custody without incident.
The homeowner and the driver of the car were both unharmed in the event.
In connection with Riley’s killing, Tate is now facing first-degree murder accusations.
“With tremendous professionalism, patience, and tenacity, the Illinois State Police have successfully captured an accused police murderer, standing side-by-side with Illinois law enforcement through another dark and sad time,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in a statement. “Fortunately, no other first responders were injured in this event, and this defendant will now face punishment.”
It’s unknown whether any of the other gunshots, carjackings, or robberies in which Tate was allegedly engaged resulted in any injuries or deaths, and the investigation is still ongoing.
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