PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for a shooting on the Fourth of July four years ago that killed a 19-year-old who was simply trying to stop a fight.
Raekwon R. Pickett, 26, was sentenced Tuesday after a Peoria County judge found him guilty of First-Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm following a June bench trial, according to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office.
Judge Sean Donahue noted the circumstances surrounding Scott’s death made the case particularly troubling.
Donahue said Scott was killed for intervening on someone else’s behalf — doing the right thing by trying to stop a fight — only to be shot and killed hours later.
Before handing down the 55-year sentence, Donahue said, “Two lives have been destroyed by senseless violence,” adding that such behavior must be deterred.
On July 4, 2022, around 3:30 a.m., Peoria Police responded to the former Taft Homes after reports of a shooting. Officers found shell casings, projectiles and blood at the scene. Two victims had already been transported to a local hospital in a private vehicle.
Quinton Scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including two to his back, and later died. A second victim sustained a non-life-threatening leg wound.
Security footage from Taft Homes showed a small group gathered outside when Pickett approached from behind and shot Scott in the back. A recovered firearm matched the shell casings and projectiles found at the scene, and phone data placed Pickett at Taft Homes at the time of the shooting.
Testimony at trial revealed Scott had previously knocked out Pickett’s brother during a fight between two women, which prosecutors say motivated the attack.
Pickett fled to Texas after the shooting and was arrested approximately one month later. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
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