UPDATE (12:45 p.m.) — A 20-year-old man has been identified as the city’s latest victim of gun violence.
According to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood, James A. Irby, 20, died after being shot Monday night. He was pronounced dead at 10:53 p.m. at OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center.
An autopsy done Tuesday indicates he suffered several gunshot wounds and likely died instantly. The coroner did not release any further information.
This story will be updated as more information is released.
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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Another shooting in South Peoria has claimed a life, Peoria police said Tuesday morning.
Peoria police were called to the 1800 block of South Stanley Street shortly after 10:15 p.m. on a report of a shooting. There they found a man who had been shot. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.
The Peoria County Coroner, Jamie Harwood, will release the man’s name later.
The deadly shooting was the city’s 21st homicide of the year.
The city has been rocked with violence in recent weeks. Since Aug. 1, 10 people have died, mostly from gunfire. The most recent, before Monday night, was 7 p.m. Friday when 15-year-old Jabbarius Highsmith was gunned down in the 1600 block of North Great Oak Road.
Those numbers don’t reflect the number of victims shot and who lived. Just Saturday afternoon, a man had been shot after two alerts from the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system indicated rounds were fired in the 900 block of South Warren Street.
Officers responded and found a wrecked car but no victim. Later, a man was brought to an area hospital by private vehicle with serious injuries.
And it doesn’t reflect an incident on Aug. 30, where five people were shot in the 2200 block of West Marquette Street. No one died in that incident but two people suffered what police called at the time “critical injuries.”
The violence is also coming at a time when City Hall and Peoria County are putting thousands of dollars into projects such as Cure Violence to find a way to cool the streets down and to ease tensions.
