BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Four people who were found dead in a Bloomington home Sunday morning were shot to death, the McLean County Coroner said Monday night.
Coroner Kathy Yoder said the four — Christopher H. Simmons, 33, Chelsea L. Lusher, 31, Trina J. Hollings, 31, and Armoni L. Bennett, 13 — were all pronounced dead at the house in the 900 block of Lee Street which is near Bent Elementary School.
Yoder said preliminary autopsy results indicated that Simmons died from a self-inflicted single gunshot wound of the head. The other three all died from multiple gunshot wounds, allegedly from Simmons.
Bloomington police believe Simmons killed his girlfriend, Chelsea Lusher, her son, Armoni Bennett, and her friend, Trina Hollings. After that, police believe, he shot himself, according to Bryce Janssen, a police spokesman.
Another resident found them and called police shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
Police found the handgun that was used in the shooting under Simmons’ body, according to Janssen. The gun was legally purchased by Simmons in 2021, but his FOID card was revoked sometime after the purchase. And as such, he was prohibited from legally possessing and purchasing guns after that.
“Our entire department mourns because of the unfortunate loss of life in our community. We stand for all who were victimized and offer our thoughts and prayers. Life is so precious, and we will remain anchored in justice and working with the community to enhance the quality of life here in Bloomington. I commend our professional staff and officers for their painstaking work on this high-profile investigation,” Chief Jamal Simington said. “We appreciate the community’s patience as we worked diligently with our public safety partners and the community to gather facts prior to releasing details. This slight delay is necessary and out of respect for justice and the families of the victims.”
A candlelight vigil was held outside the Lee Street home Monday night, with dozens of people gathered to honor the victims.
People lit candles, released balloons, and shared their favorite memories of them.
There were also plenty of strong emotions, with some crying while others expressed anger. Tensions even ran high at multiple points as some got physical with each other but it never escalated past that.
One man put his hands together and repeated the word “peace” to try and ease the tension.
The Bloomington Police Department encourages anyone experiencing domestic violence or domestic abuse to reach out to their local police department or local domestic violence organization. A local 24-hour domestic violence hotline is available by calling 309-827-7070. Those interested can learn more about additional local domestic violence community resources by visiting 211illinois.org.
This incident remains under investigation.
WMBD TV can be reached at [email protected].
