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DUPO, Ill. — A homicide suspect was found dead hours after he reportedly shot and killed one man and critically injured an officer before stealing a police cruiser in Dupo, Illinois, according to law enforcement authorities.
Police responded to the 400 block of McBride Avenue regarding a call of shots fired at about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival, they discovered Darryl Mantz, 46, of Belleville dead from gunshot wounds, Master Sgt. Brad Clossen of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department said, KSDK reported.
Not long after the homicide was discovered, an officer with the Dupo Police Department was on McBride near the Interstate 255 overpass when he spotted a man in a Bobcat, which is a piece of construction machinery. When the officer exited his patrol unit, the man, later identified as 40-year-old Reginald Allen, shot him.
Allen fled the scene in the officer’s police car, while the wounded officer was rushed to a local hospital in serious condition, according to the news outlet.
The suspect drove to his residence in the 700 block of McBride, where he remained barricaded for several hours. During the stalemate, investigators obtained a search warrant for the property, and Allen was charged with murder/intent to kill or injure with a $2 million bond, KSDK reported.
Law enforcement authorities waited hours for Allen to surrender before finally making entry into the home about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. As they cleared the residence and detached garage, they found the suspect dead, with an AR-15 next to him in the garage. Police said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No one else was present at the house.
According to law enforcement authorities, Allen and Mantz worked together in residential construction. However, it’s unclear what transpired prior to the deadly encounter and a motive for the homicide remains under investigation.
St. Clair County Sheriff Richard Watson spoke to members of the media during a Monday morning press conference. He said the injured Dupo officer remained hospitalized with stable vital signs but in critical condition. The wounded officer is 49-years-old with 12 years of experience in law enforcement. Prior to serving in Dupo, the officer served in South Roxana and Cahokia Heights.
Watson said the name of the officer has remained confidential at the request of his family. He has undergone at least one surgery. The sheriff said he is expected to make a full recovery, though it will be a prolonged period of time, according to KSDK.
Police said Allen has a history in violent crime, including the charge of reckless homicide after a 2009 incident at a Washington Park bikini bar where he was working as a bouncer.
During the incident, Allen threw a brick through the victim’s windshield. The victim got out of the vehicle, shots were fired into the air and Allen ran over and killed the man in his pickup truck while driving off, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Allen was merely sentenced to a year in jail in 2016 as a result of plea negotiations, which reduced the offense to mob action.
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