African American male Jaquone Aldridge, age 22, was shot on the afternoon of September 9, 2023, in the 2500 block of Conklin Drive on Rockford's north side.
Police were called at about 1:40 p.m.; the 22-year-old male was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and died a short time later.
Local coverage the next day confirmed the death and the location of the shooting, establishing the core timeline of the case.
In the weeks that followed, Rockford Police and the Winnebago County State's Attorney announced a slate of charges tied to the killing.
Authorities said a 20-year-old named Vondale Pearson was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery and taken into custody.
A 19-year-old named Alexander Dowthard was charged with the same offenses and, after initially being sought by police, was later captured; a 17-year-old male was also charged with murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
A 21-year-old named Tavares Locke was arrested on an obstructing justice charge connected to the investigation.
At the time police asked for the public's help, Pearson and Locke were under arrest while Dowthard and the 17-year-old were still being sought; subsequent reporting noted Dowthard's capture while authorities continued to list one suspect, the juvenile, as not yet in custody.
Community memorial pages and incident databases corroborate the date, place, and victim details: the 22-year-old male victim was identified as Jaquone Aldridge, and the shooting was logged at the Conklin Drive address in Rockford on September 9, 2023.
Those entries also point to the early local news reports and police notices that documented the immediate aftermath and the evolving search for suspects.
