On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, a fatal shooting occurred in South Peoria, Illinois, resulting in the death of 30-year-old Dennis Harris of Peoria. The incident took place in the area of MacArthur and Johnson, near Martin Luther King Junior Park, around 8:30 P.M. following a ShotSpotter alert indicating six rounds had been fired in the 600 block of West Johnson.
Upon arrival, police found two men shot. Dennis Harris was pronounced dead at the scene just before 9:00 P.M., as confirmed by Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood.
A second male victim, identified as 31-year-old Jamarcus Walker of Port Gibson, Mississippi, was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. However, Walker was later pronounced brain dead at the hospital at 4:09 P.M. on Friday, September 6, 2024.
The shooting marked the city’s 11th homicide of 2024. An autopsy for Dennis Harris was scheduled for Friday, and another autopsy for Jamarcus Walker will be conducted after organ procurement.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and authorities are seeking any information from the public. Those with information are encouraged to contact Peoria police at (309) 673-4521, tip411 (anonymously), or Crime Stoppers (anonymously) at (309) 673-9000. As of the current date, there is no reported information on any suspects or arrests related to this incident.
