WOOD RIVER, Ill. – An Illinois father took matters into his own hands last week after learning his daughter had been assaulted by a violent offender.
The angry father shot the man in the street.
The incident involving the father and the alleged perpetrator occurred off North 6th Street, near Lewis and Clark Junior High School in Wood River, Illinois, according to police.
Police officers in Wood River received a report around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday of a domestic battery at a home on Mildred Street, Patch Illinois revealed. As KTVI reported, a woman who had been severely beaten went to her parents' home and revealed to them and the police the person responsible for her assault.
Police responded by going to her parents' address, only to find that the female had gone to meet officers at the Mildred Street home. The woman's father had also left his home.
The female's father had gone out and was able to track down the person who had hurt her. Then he shot Low Life in the middle of the street on North 6th.
Here is KTVI's video report on the incident:
KTVI spoke exclusively with neighbors who witnessed the shooting. A neighbor revealed that after he heard gunfire, he went outside and saw the woman's father standing over a younger man, pointing a gun at him.
He heard the young man begging his father not to shoot him. In response, the older man shouted: “This is my daughter! She means everything to me!”
According to the neighbor, the father shot the thug and waited for the police to arrive. The neighbor said that he heard the young man screaming in severe pain, while the father's injury did not appear to be serious.
Police confirmed that the two men were injured by gunshots. One of them was taken to hospital by ambulance and the other by helicopter.
Most residents KTVI spoke with did not blame the father for defending his daughter. However, Don Howard, a local resident, believes the situation could have been handled differently.
“It's hard to blame a parent. There's five girls in our family, and I can see all of our dads going after a guy,” Howard said. “But with a gun? No… beat him; Don't shoot him.”
Police have not yet revealed the names of the men involved and refuse to say whether charges have been brought against either of them. The Wood River Police Department plans to turn the case over to the Madison County Prosecutor once the investigation is completed according to KTVI.
