Afternoon News Update: April 21
- A man has been shot on Rockford’s north side. It happened this afternoon near North Rockton and Cameron. Officials say the victim is in serious condition. According to our news partner Eyewitness News, police are focusing their investigation around a vehicle parked on the street. The gunman remains at large.
- The man convicted of killing a teenager at a gas station has learned his fate. Officials say 25-year-old Martell Buckley has been sentenced to 37 years in prison. Five months ago, Buckley shot and killed 18-year-old Dwayne Buchanan Jr. at a Rockford BP Gas Station on Auburn Street. Two other suspects were involved in the case as well. 22-year-old Rico Jefferson recently reached a plea deal with prosecutors for six years in prison for aggravated discharge. His brother, 24-year-old Russell Jefferson, has been cleared of all charges.
- The names of the two men killed in a hit and run in Janesville have been released. 24-year-old Mitchell Vance was pronounced dead at the scene, while 18-year-old Devin Julius died at a local hospital. It happened Sunday night on Highway 14 when an SUV crossed the center line, striking the two motorcyclists. The highway was closed for nearly six hours during the initial investigation.
- A woman’s body has been found in the Kishwaukee River. Officials say the victim was found by a kayaker Sunday afternoon in the Kishwaukee Gorge Forest Preserve. Investigators are not sure how or when the woman died. At this point she remains unidentified. Anyone with information is asked to call the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department or Crime Stoppers.
- A man accused of sexually assaulting a child has been found dead. Police say 45-year-old Jeff Franta bonded out of the Winnebago County Jail on April 11 and died of an apparent suicide the following day. He was charged last week with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated sexual abuse. They say the crimes he was accused of took place between 2003 and 2009.
- A kayaker has died following a Fox River accident. The Kane County Coroner says 26-year-old Dinesh Sudhakar-Uckoo was in a kayak on the river near Geneva Saturday afternoon when the boat went over a dam. His body was pulled from the water about two hours later. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover.
- The state of Illinois has announced $1.6 million for more than two dozen environmental and education projects aimed at helping to conserve the Lake Michigan shoreline. The projects will be funded through the Illinois Coastal Management Program. It was formed in 2012 to help protect Illinois' 63-mile Lake Michigan shoreline.
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