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UPDATE: Arrests Made Following Gunshots Fired on W. Adams St. in Macomb

TSPR's Emily Boyer
The fighting and gunfire occurred in the 300 block of W. Adams St. which is within walking distance to WIU's campus

UPDATE: The Macomb Police Department has made two arrests following a report of gun shots fired over the weekend near the campus of Western Illinois University.

Police traveled to Kewanne on Monday to arrest Jequann Johnson, 23, of Kewanee, IL who they believe is the top suspect in the case. Investigators located Johnson around 2:10 Monday afternoon and he was arrested without incident.

Johnson is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm. He was transported to the Henry County Jail.

While in Kewanee, Macomb police arrested a second subject, Ashton Powers, 20, of Kewanee, IL who was with Johnson during the fight. Powers is charged with Possession of a Look-Alike Substance With Intent To Distribute.

Credit Macomb Police Department
Mug shots of Jequann Johnson (left) and Ashton Powers (right). Both suspects are from Kewanee and currently being held in the Henry County Jail

According to police, neither subject attend Western Illinois University. The Macomb Police Department report they expect to make additional arrests regarding the incident. 

On Monday, Tri States Public Radio reported gun shots were fired over the weekend near the campus of Western Illinois University. Police responded to the 300 block of West Adams Street around 3:45 a.m. Sunday after receiving a 911 call.

Deputy Chief Eric Lenardt said police believe four shots were fired into the air during the altercation. No injuries were reported.

A 10-second video of the incident has been circulating on Facebook. It shows a fight involving close to a dozen people on the north side of the 300 block of W. Adams St. Gunshots can be heard just before the video ends. The video was posted on Kendall Reese's personal Facebook page. It had more than 120,000 views when this article was published.

Lenardt said police conducted several interviews at the scene. They did not ask whether the people present were students at Western Illinois University. Lenardt said officers from WIU's Office of Public Safety joined Macomb police in responding to the incident, given its close proximity to campus.

"Right now we have investigators that are currently making this a priority and trying to seek out individuals responsible and make an arrest if possible," Lenardt said.

Lenardt said police are asking anyone with information to come forward. He said the suspect could face charges of reckless endangerment or disturbing the peace.  

It has been a year since the last time gunfire was reported in the neighborhood southeast of Western’s campus. In August of last year police responded to gunfire in the 400 block of West Adams Street. In that case, police were able to identify the suspects, who were from Burlington. 

Emily Boyer is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.