Peoria, Ill. – A 17-year-old male has been charged in connection with a deadly shooting at Lexington Hills Apartments, with prosecutors revealing the incident was a planned home invasion that ended with one of the offenders being killed.
The juvenile was charged Monday with home invasion and aggravated battery. The state’s request for detention was granted, and the defendant will remain in custody at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center. The State’s Attorney’s Office will also file a motion to transfer the case to adult felony court.
Around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 22, officers responded to a shots-fired call involving two victims at the Lexington Hills Apartment Complex in the 3400 block of West Oakcrest Drive.
Upon arrival, officers found 17-year-old Matthew Day unresponsive inside an apartment with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. First responders initiated emergency life-saving measures, but Day was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The Peoria County Coroner’s Office ruled Day’s death a homicide.
A second victim, a 21-year-old male, was found inside a neighboring apartment with gunshot wounds to his legs. He was transported to a local hospital where his condition was reported as stable.
A search warrant executed on the defendant’s phone revealed text messages between him and Day coordinating the home invasion, including plans to stage the defendant as a victim during the incident.
During an interview with detectives, the defendant admitted that the text messages were his.
Patrol officers and off-duty personnel, including detectives, crime scene investigators, SWAT team members, and command staff, responded to the scene Saturday night. Police executed two court-authorized search warrants and recovered evidence from the shooting.
Comments