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Police: Man shot and killed acquaintance of ex-girlfriend in Macomb apartment

Tri States Public Radio | By Jane Carlson

Published March 9, 2022 at 3:42 PM CST

Macomb police said Dylan Lovato of Beach Park is in custody following the fatal shooting of a man inside an apartment at 425 N. Charles St. in Macomb.

A female witness, later determined to be an ex-girlfriend of the suspect, told police Lovato keyed into the apartment and shot a male acquaintance while he lay in bed.

Dylan Lovato of Beach Park was named as the suspect in a fatal shooting early Wednesday in an apartment building adjacent to the campus of Western Illinois University.

Charges against Lovato have not yet been filed but police said the shooting is a homicide investigation.

Police responded at 4:34 a.m. Wednesday to Four Oaks Apartments, 425 N. Charles St., on the east edge of campus, following a report of an individual who was shot inside an apartment.

A female witness, later determined to be an ex-girlfriend of the suspect, told police Lovato keyed into the apartment and shot a male acquaintance while he was in bed.

The victim was transported to McDonough District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:09 a.m.

Illinois State Police are at the scene of a shooting at an apartment complex that occurred in the 400 block of North Charles Street early Wednesday on the east edge of the Western Illinois University campus. — Illinois State Police vehicles are shown at the scene of a fatal shooting at an apartment complex that occurred in the 400 block of North Charles Street early Wednesday on the east edge of the Western Illinois University campus.

Lovato immediately left the apartment after the shooting, the witness told police.

Within an hour of the shooting, he was observed entering the Galesburg city limits and apprehended by Galesburg police.

According to police, the victim is not a WIU student.

But Macomb police chief Jerel Jones said WIU counselors are available to assist students due to the close proximity of the incident to campus.

The Macomb Police Department also has chaplain services available to those impacted.

Macomb police chief Jerel Jones, center, speaks at a press conference on Wednesday, March 9, at the Macomb Police Department, following a fatal shooting in a Macomb apartment adjacent to the WIU campus.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Jones declined to answer any questions, including whether the suspect or witness are students or former students at WIU.

Jones said the department will “work tirelessly” to investigate the shooting and offered condolences to the family of the victim.

“We ask that the community respect the privacy of the family and witnesses involved,” Jones said.

Lovato is being held at the McDonough County jail.

The Galesburg and Monmouth police departments, McDonough County Sheriff's Office, Illinois State Police, and WIU Office of Public Safety are assisting with processing the scene and collecting and preserving evidence.

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