1 dead, Illinois State Police trooper seriously injured in police shooting on I-64 downstate
Illinois State Police are processing evidence and conducting interviews
MT. VERNON, Ill. (WLS) -- One person is dead and a veteran Illinois State Police trooper is seriously injured after a shootout on Interstate 64 near Mount Vernon Tuesday morning, according to police.
At approximately 3 a.m. Tuesday, an Illinois State Police trooper stopped on the right shoulder on I-64 to assist a stranded motorist and a passenger. A second officer arrived for routine assistance shortly after, police said.
A person in the vehicle exchanged gunfire with one of the troopers, a 16-year veteran of the Illinois State Police. That officer's name has not yet been released. They were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to an Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation news release.
The other person involved in the gunfire was pronounced dead on the scene. The stranded motorist's passenger and the other involved trooper were uninjured, police said.
RELATED: COPA releases bodycam video of Reginald Clay Jr.'s Chicago police shooting death
Following the incident, all eastbound lanes of I-64 were closed. They opened just before 6:30 a.m. before closing again for about an hour just after 7:45 a.m. as a part of the investigation, according to police.
Illinois State Police are processing evidence and conducting interviews. This is an ongoing investigation by Special Agents of the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation.
