A Peoria man will remain in custody until trial in connection with a shooting at Glen Oak Park on Memorial Day.
Harlem C. Porter, 20, has been charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a fraudulent identification card. During a Friday detention hearing, the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office’s request for detention was granted.
On May 25, around 6 p.m., officers responded to reports of shots fired at Glen Oak Park. Officers pursued an SUV at the scene that had crashed, and the occupants fled. The SUV was registered to Porter, and officers found a gun inside the vehicle, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
No one was injured in the shooting.
Witnesses reported a suspect, later identified as Porter, hiding in a vehicle at a nearby gas station. When Porter was taken into custody, an Indiana driver’s license was found on him with his picture and another person’s name, police said.
When interviewed by police, Porter admitted to having the handgun and firing it multiple times but said someone shot at him first and that he had acted in self-defense. He also admitted the ID found was a fake.
At the scene, officers located 31 shell casings and multiple vehicles struck by bullets. Preliminary testing indicated that 19 of those shell casings were fired from Porter’s handgun, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
The Memorial Day shooting at Glen Oak Park came just weeks after the Peoria Park District Board of Trustees held a special meeting to address violence occurring at Peoria parks. That meeting was held after two shootings happened on April 26 at two different Peoria parks, Bradley Park and Stadium Park. The Bradley Park shooting left a 17-year-old dead.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria man will remain in jail after Glen Oak Park shooting
Reporting by Staff reports, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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