Rantoul PD releases names of officers involved in deadly shooting

RANTOUL, Ill. (WAND) — Rantoul Police have released the names of two officers involved in the deadly shooting of an 18-year-old following a traffic stop and foot chase Wednesday.

Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup said Jordan A. Richardson of Rantoul was pronounced dead at 1:42 p.m. on June 7 in the Carle Foundation Hospital Emergency Department from a gunshot wound to the chest.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the Champaign County Regional Morgue Facility located in Urbana.

According to RPD, on Wednesday afternoon, around 12:27 p.m., Rantoul officers located a vehicle in the 400 Block of Campbell Avenue which had previously fled from officers in April.

As the officer was exiting their vehicle, the driver of the vehicle exited, and a consensual conversation ensued. During the conversation, the officer noted a large amount of cannabis packaged in several different bags inside the vehicle. At this time, the front-seat passenger and began running from the vehicle. Besides the driver and the front-seat passenger, there were no other occupants of the vehicle.

As the person was running, the officer saw a gun fall to the ground. The person turned around, picked up the gun, and then ran southbound through the residential area.

As other officers arrived in the area, they located the person running in the 400 block of Belle Avenue. As the person was running, officers observed that the person was armed with a handgun. The person fell to the ground and turned toward the officer with the gun still in their hand. One of the officers pursuing the person shot and struck the person with one round. After the person’s gun was secure, aid was rendered to the person by officers and AMT Ambulance when they arrived on scene. The person was transported to Carle Foundation Hospital, where he later died.

Rantoul Police said they are cooperating with the investigation by the Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Investigative Team, which is led by Illinois State Police investigators.

The CCMJIT is continuing to conduct interviews, collect evidence, and complete reports. It will submit a report to the Champaign County State’s Attorney when its portion of the investigation is complete.

“We welcome the investigators’ questions and expertise, and we are supporting their work because it is in the public interest to make a full detailing of the events available as soon as possible,” said Rantoul Police Chief Anthony Brown. “We ask our community to understand that these investigations are complex, with many pieces of evidence, video footage and witness statements to collect and analyze.”

The Rantoul Police Department received authorization from the CCMJIT to release the names of the two officers involved.

Sergeant Jerry King was the officer who fired his weapon. Officer Casey Smith was present on scene when the shooting occurred but did not discharge her weapon.

Sergeant Jerry King was hired with Rantoul Police Department on September 23, 2013. He was promoted to Sergeant January 30, 2021. He has no disciplinary history.

Officer Casey Smith was hired to the Rantoul Police Department on August 8, 2022. She also has no disciplinary history.

Per Rantoul Police Department policy, both officers remain on paid administrative leave pending the case review by the Champaign County State Attorney's Office and, separately, an internal department review.

“Transparency is one of our core values, and we will continue to make more information available as the investigation proceeds and after it concludes,” Brown said. “We are grateful for the community’s patience, and we are always ready to engage in conversations about how we serve the Village of Rantoul.”

The driver of the vehicle involved in the original stop, Jheremia McKown, 20, of Champaign, was arrested on multiple charges including unlawful use/possession of a weapon and delivery of cannabis. McKown struck the original officer in the face, causing minor injuries that require further medical attention.

Officers located two loaded handguns in the vehicle, a large amount of cannabis packaged for delivery, and a large amount of currency.

The department is seeking further information footage, or other evidence that community members may have. Witnesses are encouraged to contact the Rantoul Police Department or Illinois State Police.

The CCMJIT is led by Illinois State Police investigators, and it is assembled to investigate any officer- involved shooting in accordance with Rantoul Police Department policy. This team will conduct interviews, collect evidence, and complete reports. A timeline for the investigation will depend on its complexity. Once all information is collected, the full report will be forwarded to the Champaign County State Attorney’s Office for review to determine whether the officers involved acted in accordance with applicable laws. Additionally, an internal review will be conducted by the Rantoul Police Department to determine whether the officers acted in accordance with department policies on use of force.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This is the second fatal, officer-involved shooting in Rantoul of the year.

Twenty-one-year-old, Azaan Lee, of Champaign, was fatally shot by one bullet from his own gun during a struggle between him and officers for that weapon, according to investigative findings by the Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Investigative Team (MJIT), led by the Illinois State Police.