One day after authorities say a gunman fatally shot a deputy trying to serve a warrant at a Rockford hotel, a murder complaint details the moments leading up to the shooting.
According to the complaint, officers of the U.S. Marshal's Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force attempted to execute state warrants for 39-year-old Floyd E. Brown at the Extended Stay hotel on North Bell School Road in Rockford.
Officers said they learned that Brown and Brown's girlfriend were staying in room 305 of the hotel and knocked on the door. Meanwhile, other officers "were positioned around the exterior of the hotel," including Deputy Jacob Keltner.
When police knocked, they heard a male voice inside yell "Don't do it," the complaint states. When the officers used a key to open the door, they discovered the interior swing lock was still engaged, according to the complaint.
Brown's girlfriend, who came to the door but did not open it, said she wanted to get out, the complaint reads. Meanwhile, a male voice could be heard yelling from inside the room before gunfire came through the hotel door and walls.
Brown fled out of the hotel room via a third-story window, the complaint states, shooting Keltner in the head as he did.
He fled the scene in a vehicle before police located him on an expressway in the Bloomington-Normal area. Once officers began pursuing him, he shot at them "multiple times using a long gun," according to the complaint.
The complaint does not detail the hours-long standoff that took place with state police and SWAT after Brown's vehicle crashed with a squad car.
Keltner was pronounced dead hours after the shooting. The nearly 13-year veteran of the McHenry County Sheriff's office was married and had two children, officials said.
"Deputy Keltner was an integral part of our office, someone who had risen quickly to greater responsibilities after he was first sworn in in 2006," McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim said Thursday. "He was loved and respected by all his colleagues, and he will be sorely missed."
Keltner's body was escorted in a procession Thursday night to the Winnebago County Coroner's office.
A line of police cars with their lights flashing could be seen for miles.
After the standoff came to an end, Brown was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries related to the crash. He was last placed in ISP custody, but authorities said he will "eventually be turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
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Brown was charged with killing a special deputy United States Marshal, a charge that carries a potential penality of death or life in prison if convicted.
He is expected to appear in court Monday.
“First and foremost, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the family of Deputy Keltner,” ISP Acting Director Brendan F. Kelly said. “The men and women of the Illinois State Police, including responding Troopers from District 16, District 1, District 15, District 6, District 8, and District 9, all responded with seamless professionalism alongside the law enforcement of this state. ISP’s SWAT team in particular showed incredible tactical restraint, bravery and boldness today. This dark day has come to an end, and this defendant can now be brought to justice."
