Wamac, Illinois

From the August 17, 2005 Morning Sentinel:

Jaime Matthew Evilsizer, 19, of Brookside Trailer Court was taken to St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment of wounds to his abdomen and thigh, police said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday afternoon that Evilsizer was admitted. His condition was not listed. One report stated that he was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit, although this was not confirmed by hospital officials.

Wamac police said Evilsizer was shot by Roy J. Miller, 76, who lives on the property where Evilsizer allegedly was causing a disturbance.

Marion County State’s Attorney Matt Wilzbach said Tuesday afternoon that he had just received preliminary verbal reports on the incident and was not sure what charges might be filed against Evilsizer.

Wilzbach also said he had not filed charges against Miller and would review the circumstances that led to the shooting to determine if any charges would be filed.

Wamac police said Evilsizer allegedly beat on Miller’s garage door and did some damage to Miller’s van, which was parked in front of the garage, under a carport. They said Evilsizer allegedly damaged Miller’s satellite dish beyond repair and then went to Miller’s front porch and started beating on the door.

They said Miller told the suspect to leave, but Evilsizer started beating on Miller’s truck, at which point Miller allegedly opened his front door and fired seven shots out the door, two of which struck Evilsizer on the abdomen and thigh. They said the weapon used was a .22-caliber pistol.

They said Evilsizer left the property and went to the 600 block of Wabash Avenue, where he allegedly struck an unidentified male with a board. When a Wamac police car arrived, Evilsizer reportedly rushed the police car and started beating on the passenger side window before heading north on Wabash Avenue and then west on Peach Street.

They said the officer caught up with Evilsizer again, and the suspect swung at the squad car, hitting and damaging a spotlight. When the officer opened the door, Evilsizer allegedly grabbed it, damaging the door before he fell to the ground. He then reportedly got up and went down an alley.

At this point, three Centralia police officers arrived as backup help, and they helped take Evilsizer into custody in the 600 block of South James Street, Wamac police said.

They said Evilsizer tried to pull off his belt and screamed, “Come get me,” after which a Centralia police officer pepper-sprayed him, and Evilsizer collapsed.

An ambulance arrived, and Evilsizer continued to resist police and ambulance crews, police said. He was taken to the hospital and administered drugs to calm him down, police reported.

Initial urinalysis at the hospital showed he had traces of methamphetamine and cannabis in his system, as well as a blood alcohol level of .195, which is about three times the limit at which a person is considered to be legally intoxicated, according to police.

“I have no doubt that this elderly gentleman feared for his safety,” the state’s attorney said of the shooting.