HERVEY CITY, Ill. (WAND) — The man killed in a shooting at a Hervey City business on Monday has been identified.
Gregory W. Hostetler of Dalton City was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. He was 48.
According to Macon County Sheriff Jim Root, deputies responded to a shooting near Five Star Auto Sales on Monday afternoon. They located Hostetler and an 18-year-old gunshot victim in addition to the suspect who also had injuries.
The other victim and the suspect were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Hostetler and the victim, who own and work at Five Star Auto Sales and Greg’s Towing and Recovery, had towed a vehicle earlier in the morning. A man identified as 25-year-old Tiimon Perry went to the business to recover the vehicle.
A verbal altercation concerning the cost of the tow became physical, at which time Perry pulled a handgun and shot Hostetler in the head according to the sheriff.
The other victim was shot in the shoulder by Perry as he tried to wrestle the gun away. Once he had gotten free, he fired one round at Perry and struck him in the testicular area.
Sergeant Scott Flannery of the Macon County Sheriff's office described the events leading up to the shooting for WAND News on Tuesday, saying, "They had a call to recover a vehicle that had a flat tire, again some sort of tire issue. They took it back to their shop." Sgt. Flannery continued, "The individual, Mr. Perry, came to retrieve the vehicle and ultimately refused to pay the $50 towing fee, which was incurred when they towed the vehicle back to that location. There was a struggle a little bit over the keys. They weren't going to give him the keys back until the fee was paid. That's ultimately when it turned physical and the gun was involved."
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Perry remains in custody at the hospital. Once he recovers, he will be taken to the Macon County Jail for processing.
Sgt. Flannery said, "We're hoping that he's going to be released some time [Tuesday] or potentially even [Thursday] morning. There is a question about him going for arraignment or bond, so at some point he's going to have to be released or paperwork will have to go forward for his bond hearing."
The victim was treated for his gunshot wound and released.
Perry has initially been charged with first degree murder and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He has previous warrants for vehicular invasion and is wanted by Decatur Police for vehicle invasion and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Additional charges are likely pending.
An autopsy was performed for Hostetler on Tuesday. Results indicated he died due to a single gun shot wound to the head.
The Macon County Sheriff's Office and Illinois State Police are investigating.
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