UPDATED: 3:36pm 9/6/24
The Macomb man accused of shooting two police officers which then led to a 19-hour standoff will remain in jail until trial.
Under the state’s Pretrial Fairness Act, a McDonough County judge Friday found probable cause for Shaiking Mathis, 38, to be tried, and ordered him to remain in jail, according to court records.
Mathis, police say, gave up without incident Thursday afternoon after allegedly shooting two Macomb officers trying to serve a search warrant at his Normal Street home the evening before. Police said Friday that Mathis was the primary suspect in a Criminal Sexual Assault investigation. Officers tried knocking on Mathis’ door several times with no answer. After more officers arrived on the scene, police say a larger perimeter was set up, officers broke open a back door, and that’s when shots were fired.
The officers are now recovering at home after spending some time in a Peoria hospital. They were identified by Macomb Police Friday as Det. Nick Severs, and Sgt. JP McLaughlin.
Mathis is charged with three Class-X felony counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, and two Class-2 felony counts of Aggravated Battery to a Peace Officer. Additional charges, police said Thursday, are possible.
A preliminary hearing date is scheduled for September 30th.
In a related matter, according to a statement from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, their deputies and Galesburg Police officers were deployed to Macomb to provide mutual aid as part of the multiple law enforcement agency response there. Both Sheriff Jack Harlan and Police Chief Russ Idle were among the 20 officers locally that responded to the Macomb scene, which also included multiple vehicle and other forms of aid.
“The operation is an example of Law Enforcement working together providing assistance to each other and assisting with keeping the community safe during a critical incident,” said the statement.
