August 30, 2023, Peoria, IL – Today, Jared R. Williams, 17, was charged with First-Degree Murder, a Class M Felony, in the shooting death of Mason R. Loy, 21, that occurred over the weekend at Laramie Liquors. On Saturday night, deputies arrived at the store’s parking lot and found Loy lying in a pool of blood with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Surveillance video from the store showed a large, heavyset white male with long hair get out of a vehicle unprovoked, approach Loy, and immediately fire multiple shots at him. This male would later be identified as Williams, who was also seen on video fleeing the scene. On August 28, deputies received information that Williams was inside an apartment in Normal, Illinois. After executing a search warrant for the apartment, the defendant was found inside, along with a handgun. Preliminary testing shows that the gun recovered from the apartment fired the shell casings recovered from the crime scene.
Although Williams is considered a juvenile due to his age and being held at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center, he will be tried as an adult. The judge set bond at 1.5 million dollars.
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