Bloomington police was ‘justified’ when they shot a person in late March, prosecutor said

Posted on April 13, 2023

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington police officers were justified when they shot another person in late March, the state’s attorney announced Wednesday.

In a news release, the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office and Bloomington Police released an initial report regarding the March 30 shooting at the Turnberry Square Apartments.

“The McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office finds the course of actions engaged by the officers was justified, reasonable, and necessary to protect themselves from great bodily harm and loss of life,” the release stated. “It is the unequivocal opinion of the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office the Bloomington Police Department’s officers were legally justified in their use of force against this subject on March 30, 2023.”

Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said in the news release that his department’s mission was public safety and that “gun crimes such as these are a high priority, which our officers are highly committed to appropriately address.”

When officers arrived on the scene on March 30, they made contact with the armed suspect. Officers then fired and struck the person. No officers were injured during the incident. The person who was shot was treated at an area hospital with gunshot wounds.

The Illinois State Police is conducting an investigation as required by law. The results of that investigation are not yet known.

When reached for comment, Jayme Bufford, an ISP spokesperson, said no further information was available, adding, “This investigation is open and ongoing. In order to maintain its integrity, no information is being released at this time.”

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