Southern Illinois man apprehended in early morning shooting in Taylorville

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HILLSBORO (Heartland Newsfeed) — A Southern Illinois man has been apprehended in relation to a shooting that took place in Taylorville early Monday morning.

Lee W. Kennedy, 43, of Dubois was apprehended in a coordinated effort of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and the Hillsboro Police Department Monday afternoon.

Officers from Taylorville Police Department responded to a shots fired call located in the 500 block of S. Walnut St. Officers on site discovered that three people had been shot, including a 13-year-old. The unidentified victims were treated at Taylorville Memorial Hospital before being transferred to HSHS St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. Police Chief Brian Hile believes all injuries sustained are non-life threatening.

Hile said in an interview that this is not the first time they’ve had to respond to a domestic violence incident involving Kennedy.

Kennedy fled from the scene in a white 1996 GMC Sierra extended cab truck with Illinois registration 2363510B and was considered armed and dangerous.

Around 1:30 p.m., Hillsboro CUSD #3 superintendent David E. Powell pull all three schools in Hillsboro under administrative lockdown following a tip from local law enforcement that Kennedy’s truck was in town, as stated in the statement below:

Local law enforcement officials notified school officials that a vehicle belonging to the suspect in a violent crime committed in another community was found in Hillsboro. There has been no known sighting of the suspect. The three schools in Hillsboro have been placed under a form of administrative lockdown. All exterior doors are locked and student movement is limited.

Kennedy was apprehended between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and will be remanded back to the custody of the Christian County Sheriff’s Department pending charges. A joint investigation involving Taylorville Police Department, Christian County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police and other outside agencies is ongoing.