The Henry County Sheriff’s Office released Body Cam footage of the fatal shooting of Toulon resident, Rodney Williams, on Tuesday morning. The video includes narrative to inform the viewer of each step law enforcement took on that February morning. The Henry County Special Operations Squad said the video was provided “as a commitment to transparency and public interest”. WARNING the video may be difficult to watch for some viewers. On February 18, 2023, the Henry County Special Operations Squad was activated to serve an arrest warrant on Rodney Williams and execute a search warrant on his residence. Rodney Williams was 66-years-old at the time of the shooting and reportedly suffered from Dementia.
The video clearly shows Mr. Williams in possession of a machete type knife. The narrator said the video was edited “in the interest of time”, and as such, does not indicate how much time each step of the operation took. Officers identified themselves multiple times and instructed Mr. Williams to put down his weapon, both at the front door and bedroom door of the residence. After officers breached the bedroom door, Mr. Williams exits the door swinging the machete at the officer holding the shield. Body cam footage from a second officer clearly shows the long knife hitting the shield while Rodney Williams is pushing and pulling on the shield with his left hand. Officers discharged their weapons after the deputy holding the shield lost his balance and fell to the ground. Officers removed the machete and began rendering medical aid to Mr. Williams. Rodney Williams was transported to OSF St Luke hospital in Kewanee where he later died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Stark County State’s Attorney, Caroline Borden Campion, determined the shooting was justified after reviewing body cam footage, reports, lab reports, audio recordings and all documents prepared by the Illinois State Police. The Henry County Operations Squad is comprised of officers from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Stark County Sheriff’s Office and the Kewanee Police Department.
The no-knock arrest warrant was signed by a Stark County Judge to arrest Mr. Williams for Aggravated Battery following incidents where he threatened his landlord with a machete and swung a machete out his window at emergency personnel when they were at his residence for a welfare check
State’s Attorney Campion said “Overall, the officers’ actions were legally justified, reasonable and necessary to protect the health and safety of the officers, the community of Toulon and citizens of Stark County”. According to the release, the shooting of Rodney Williams was done while Mr. Williams was striking an officer with a machete. The shooting of Mr. Williams “was legally justified by officers of the Henry County Special Operations Squad to prevent death or great bodily harm to others”.
