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Name Withheld

Age :

Gender : Male

Race : Unknown

Date : 08/22/2026

Location : Western Avenue and Howett Street

City : Peoria

County : Peoria

State : Illinois

Agency : Peoria Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE:
Peoria police officers heard gunfire and received a ShotSpotter alert reporting approximately 20 gunshots. Police saw a vehicle leaving the area and attempted a traffic stop, then escalated to chase, running police vehicle over pedestrian.
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NARRATIVE:
On 08/22/2026 at approximately 2:45 a.m., an unidentified adult male pedestrian was killed during a Peoria Police Department pursuit on the city's South Side.
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Peoria police officers were near the 1400 block of SW Jefferson Street when they heard gunfire. At approximately the same time, ShotSpotter registered 20 rounds fired in the area. Police saw a vehicle leaving the scene and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver fled and police pursued the vehicle.
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During the pursuit, the fleeing vehicle traveled west and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Howett Street and Western Avenue. The driver continued after that collision and struck an adult male pedestrian. The vehicle then crashed into a utility pole. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The driver and passenger of the fleeing vehicle, both adult men, were hospitalized. One was reported in critical condition and the other in serious condition. Police said a firearm was recovered from their vehicle.
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The pursuit originated from a separate shooting at the Jefferson Street location. Police subsequently found an adult male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds there. He was transported to a hospital and died shortly afterward. A second shooting victim arrived at a hospital in a private vehicle with a gunshot wound to his leg and was expected to survive. The shooting death is a separate homicide and is not included as a police-triggered fatality in this report.
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The Illinois State Police are investigating the fatal pursuit crash, while the Peoria Police Department is investigating the original shooting. The Peoria County Coroner's Office had not publicly identified either deceased man as of the latest available reporting.
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This is notably the second traffic-related death within a month connected to a Peoria Police Department action, according to WCBU.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2026-08-22/2-dead-2-suspects-hospitalized-after-shooting-car-chase-in-peoria
https://www.peoriagov.org/m/newsflash?cat=1%2C9