Daniel O El, 25

Peoria, Illinois
February 01, 2018

Agencies: Peoria Police Department Illinois

Cause of death: Shooting

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Last updated: almost 6 years ago

Overview

A police traffic stop and foot chase early Thursday in South Peoria ended with a gunfight that left an officer shot and a Peoria Heights man dead, police said.

The Peoria officer, a man whose name has not been released, was at a local hospital after being shot in the mid-torso, said Police Chief Jerry Mitchell. The other man, Daniel O. El, 32, of 1008 E. Paris Ave. died at an area hospital after being taken there by paramedics, said Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood.

The officer-involved shooting is the second one in the past five months that has resulted in a fatality. On Sept. 20, 2017, police shot and killed Eddie Russell Jr. after a two-hour standoff. Six officers who had shot Russell, 25, as he walked toward them carrying a handgun were cleared earlier this week of any wrongdoing.

Mitchell said during a mid-afternoon news conference Thursday that one of those officers was involved in Thursday morning’s incident, though he would not say how that officer was involved or which officer it was. Further details weren’t available, the chief said, as the Illinois State Police has taken over the investigation per state statute. The three officers who were involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the state police investigation.

Two police officers in two squad cars tried to stop El’s car at about 2:30 a.m. after he had made a stop sign violation near West Lincoln and South Western avenues and was discovered with an expired license plate registration, the chief said.