PEORIA – The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office announced Thursday that a jury found John Earl Nichols, 30, guilty on charges stemming from a shooting last August that injured one person.
On Aug. 16, 2025, around 8:45 p.m., police responded to reports of a person shot at the Cityscape apartment complex in the 600 block of Romeo B. Garrett Avenue. When they arrived, officers found a 39-year-old man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his right leg.
In an initial statement to police, the victim reported that an unknown male had attempted to take his watch before shooting him. Nichols was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
During the three-day trial, a former resident of the apartment complex testified that she witnessed the shooting. She identified Nichols as the man who shot the victim and said she saw him flee the scene while pushing a man in a wheelchair.
Prosecutors also presented surveillance footage from the apartment complex that corroborated her testimony. The video showed Nichols pushing the victim to the ground, shooting him, and then fleeing the scene while pushing a man in a wheelchair. The man in the wheelchair did not cooperate with the investigation.
Sentencing for the case is set for July 15.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Suspect found guilty in 2025 Peoria apartment complex shooting
Reporting by Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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