A suspect remains in custody after a Wednesday search from Wayne County, Illinois, to St. Peters, Missouri, and eventually to Carlyle, Illinois.
scheduled tribe. Peters, Mohd. — A man was arrested and charged with murder after police said he shot a deputy in Wayne County, Illinois, and shot and killed someone Wednesday in St. Peters, Missouri.
Illinois State Police identified him as 40-year-old Ray Tate of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. As of Wednesday evening, he was charged with first-degree murder by the Wayne County State Attorney.
Here is a timeline of the events that led to his arrest.
December 16
In a Facebook post on December 16, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office identified Tate as a suspect in a shooting near a hotel in the area. He said he turned away from the deputy and opened fire on a driver in an attempted carjacking. He eventually fled the scene and was not caught till Wednesday.
Wednesday morning around 5 am
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said Deputy Sean Riley answered a “motorist assistance” call on Interstate 64 in Illinois.
Wayne County is about two hours east of Mount Vernon, Illinois, from the St. Louis area.
Another officer found Deputy Riley’s body at the scene, but his squad car was missing.
Officers were able to find the squad car down I-64, but they said Tate got into a semi-truck before officers arrived and forced the driver to drive him to St. Peters, Missouri, at gunpoint.
Wednesday morning around 7 a.m.
St. Peters, Missouri, Police report a carjacking and shooting at Quicktrip at 391 Main Street.
Police said the suspect shot a victim in the shoulder and the vehicle was taken away. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the vehicle was found near Highway 70 in O’Fallon, Missouri.
Police believed the suspect in the Quicktrip carjacking was the same suspect in the Wayne County shooting.
The suspect was last known for wearing a light gray hoodie, dark pants and dark shoes.
O’Fallon, Missouri police said the suspect drove into another vehicle, a white Nissan Titan pickup with Missouri license plate 0WE-A43. Illinois State Police said he stole the car and kidnapped a man in it.
Wednesday afternoon around 12:30
At 12:22 a.m. the Clinton County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook to warn residents near Carlyle that two men who were armed and dangerous were in the area. Investigators believe one of the men is the suspect wanted for the multistate shooting and carjacking earlier on Wednesday. An update to the Post said the suspect has been arrested and there is no further threat to security in the area.
A heavy police force was also present in a house on Beaver Road. Just north of Carlyle. He drove that vehicle to rural Carlyle, Illinois, where it made its way into the house and held the kidnapped victim and the homeowner against their will.
The police finally caught him from the same house. ISP SWAT division officials were able to take him into custody without any further incident. A stolen Nissan Titan was seen being escorted from the place of his arrest on Wednesday evening.
Wednesday afternoon around 1:30
Indiana State Police confirmed that the suspect was wanted in connection with the fatal shooting in Wayne County and that St. Peters carjacking was taken into custody near Carlyle, Illinois.
Later in the day he was charged with murder and identified as Ray Tate of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
