Suspect in Mt. Zion 18-year-old's death pleads not guilty

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The suspect accused of shooting and killing an 18-year-old at a park off East Lost Bridge Road in Decatur earlier this month has entered a plea.

Joshua Gregg, 23, appeared in court for his preliminary hearing Wednesday and pleaded not guilty after being denied pretrial release during his previous court appearance.

Gregg appeared in Macon County Court Dec. 9 and was charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm.

His pre-trial is set for Feb. 6 at 9 a.m.

Police responded to a reported shooting around 4:15 p.m. Dec. 5 at Sportsmans Park near Lake Decatur.

The victim, identified as Landin Bodine of Mt. Zion, was taken to Decatur Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

According to a sworn statement of Gregg's arrest, police spoke to a 15-year-old boy who was at the scene when the shooting happened. He told police that he and Bodine arrived at the park, and were later joined by their friend Gregg, who drove separately from them.

The boy told police that the three of them hung out by the lake before he and Bodine got back into Bodine's vehicle. Bodine sat in the driver's seat and spoke with Gregg as he stood outside the driver's side door, the sworn said, before the boy heard a single gunshot.

The boy said Gregg opened the driver's side door and Bodine fell out of the vehicle. Gregg began compressions on Bodine's chest and put pressure on his wound, according to the sworn.

The boy told police that Gregg later told him to lie to officers and give them a fake name for him when questioned, before getting into his vehicle and fleeing the scene.

Police later spoke to Bodine's brother at the hospital who told police he messaged Gregg on Snapchat after learning of the shooting. The sworn statement said Gregg sent messages back to Bodine's brother asking him not to tell anyone about what happened and that "he didn't mean to" shoot Bodine.

Police later found Gregg at a gas station in Shelbyville hours after the shooting. The sworn statement said a handgun was inside of his vehicle. Gregg confirmed to officers that this was the gun used to shoot Bodine.

Gregg told officers that he was standing outside of Bodine's vehicle and showing Bodine the ammunition inside of the gun before he slipped on ice. Gregg said the gun began to fall out of his hand, according to the sworn statement, and went off after he caught it and pulled the trigger.

Gregg said that he realized Bodine was shot after he opened the door and he slumped out of the vehicle.

The sworn statement said that Gregg did not have a valid FOID card on file.

Bodine attended Mt. Zion High School. The Mt. Zion School District Administration sent the following statement to WAND News:

"It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that we inform you of the tragic loss of one of our students, Landin Bodine, a junior-level student attending our futures program ... Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time."

Bodine's mother, Amanda White, said she appreciated all who came to support her son during Tuesday's court appearance.

"That's more a testament than his mom standing here saying wonderful things about him; it's all the other people who have shown up. The lives that he impacted and the lives that he touched. And there's more. It's so far-reaching that this is just a snippet of the people who are rallying for Landin," White told WAND News.

Jason Bodine, Landin Bodine's father, added: "We want to be his voice, so the outcome today is what we were hoping for — accountability and being held to the highest."

Krekel's Forsyth posted on Facebook to remember Bodine as a "great fry guy."

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