Machete-, shotgun-wielding man shot by officers in Macon arraigned
MACON, Ill. (WCIA) — A man from Macon is now facing formal charges following an incident in that village last week that left him shot and an officer hurt.
Oscar McCurry Jr. has since been identified as the person who, on May 3, was armed with a knife when Decatur Police confronted him in a gas station parking lot. McCurry allegedly ran from officers, stole a Macon County Sheriff's squad car, rammed a Decatur Park Police squad car and pointed a police-issued shotgun at officers, prompting them to open fire on him.
Second woman involved in Mattoon nursing home crash dies
After being hospitalized, McCurry was booked into the Macon County Jail over the weekend on preliminary charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery to a peace officer and unlawful possession of a firearm. On Monday, he made an initial appearance in court and was arraigned on the following formal felony counts:
Aggravated unlawful possesion of a weapon
Felon in possesion of a weapon
Aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon
Aggravated battery to a peace officer
Possesion of a stolen vehicle
Possesion of a stolen firearm
A sworn statement filed in the case, signed by Sheriff's Sergeant David Pittenger, also revealed new details about the confrontation with McCurry and their attempts to negotiate with him.
Deputies responded to the P&V gas station in Macon on May 3 in reference to a person with a machete who had crashed their car into a semi-truck. Pittenger said McCurry, whose machete was still in a sheath, told deputies he believed his daughter was being held inside the cab of the semi and was being sexually assaulted, which is why he crashed his car into the semi.
The owner of the semi allowed deputies into the cab, and they found no one inside. Pittenger said this information still wasn't enough to convince McCurry his children weren't in danger.
A deputy called McCurry's girlfriend to get him to calm down, but right as a deputy got off the phone with her, McCurry ran from the gas station and into the middle of U.S. Route 51. A deputy maneuvered their squad car onto the southbound lanes of the highway to block traffic at Andrews Road.
Danville man sentenced to prison for aggravated domestic battery, battery while detained
Pittenger said McCurry had unsheathed his machete and was standing in front of the squad car that had blocked traffic; the deputy inside quickly got out to put distance between him and McCurry. McCurry, who made suicidal statements, refused to put the machete down despite numerous commands to do so.
'A short time later, Oscar opened the driver's side door of the deputy's vehicle,' Pittenger said. 'Deputies observed Oscar then get into MSO squad car MC25 and drive away at a high rate of speed.'
Pittenger said McCurry didn't get far, initially driving around in circles before driving west on Andrews Street and north on Wall Street. However, he aimed MC25 at multiple other squad cars, forcing the deputies driving them to take evasive action. One of those squad cars ended up in a roadside ditch.
McCurry's ride came to an end when he rammed a Decatur Park Police car on Wall Street a quarter mile south of Route 51, disabling MC25 and the Decatur Park Police car. But while the ride was still happening, McCurry got his hands on the department-issued shotgun inside, which Pittenger said McCurry was holding as he exited the squad car.
'Oscar ignored all commands given by deputies [to drop the shotgun], at which time deputies fired their department-issued weapons at Oscar,' Pittenger said. 'At that time, Oscar dropped the shotgun but retrieved a knife from his pocket while still standing in the roadway.'
Taylorville Police arrest 'dangerous felon' after tracking him to their city
McCurry again refused demands to drop the knife, but Pittenger said he was taken into custody a short time later. Having been shot during the incident, McCurry was initially transported to Decatur Memorial Hospital for treatment of the gunshot wounds and then to a hospital in Springfield for injuries sustained in the crash.
The Decatur Park Police officer who was hurt in the collision with MC25 was also taken to Decatur Memorial. He is expected to be okay.
A week after the incident, a visibly injured McCurry was booked into the Macon County Jail. A check into his criminal history revealed that McCurry has a prior felony burglary conviction out of Oregon.
In court on Monday, Judge Lindsey Shelton found that pretrial detention was necessary for McCurry and ordered him to remain in custody as his court case continues.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 28.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sangamon, Menard Co. Crime Stoppers seeking tips on shooting
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Crime Stoppers of Sangamon and Menard counties are looking for more information on a shooting that happened earlier this week. On June 1 at around 3 a.m., the Springfield Police Department responded to a report of shots fired near the 1700 block of E Cook St. The female victim who was a passenger in a vehicle was shot and taken to a local hospital where she was treated for non life-threatening injuries. 'We knew he was fighting': Chatham community mourns fifth death in kids camp tragedy If photos relating to the incident become available, they will be posted to the Crime Stoppers' website. Anyone who can identify a suspect(s) or any vehicle that may be involved is asked to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 217-788-8427, submit a tip on their website or use the P3 app. Tips resulting in an arrest can receive cash rewards of up to $2,500. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘We knew he was fighting': Chatham community mourns fifth death in kids camp tragedy
CHATHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — A fifth child has died after a woman drove through the YNOT after school kids camp in Chatham. The Sangamon County Coroner said 8-year-old Bradley Lund died Monday morning after he'd been fighting for his life at the hospital following the April 28 accident. The crash also took the lives of 7-year-old Kathryn Corley, 7-year-old Alma Buhnerkempe, 8-year-old Ainsley Johnson and 18-year-old Rylee Britton. 'Hurting very, very badly': YNOT founder shares statement on Chatham tragedy A little more than a month after the tragedy, the community is still coming to terms with the losses. Red ribbons continue to wrap around trees and signs while the words 'Chatham Strong' remain plastered nearly everywhere in sight. Countless local businesses, organizations, schools and churches have hosted memorial events and fundraisers for the victims. Timothy Welch, Bank of Springfield vice president and branch manager, said a fund started by a family friend of the Lund's has been collecting money ever since the accident. 'It's something that's on people's minds all the time,' Welch said. 'Small or large, whatever [people] can do to support, it all comes together and creates something like we have now which is a huge fund.' Minutes down the road, Wheel Fast Bicycle Company helped plan a ride to raise money for Bradley's family. Investigation into fatal Chatham crash moves to Sangamon Co. State's Attorney's Office 'We knew he was fighting and battling,' owner Matthew Saner said. 'It's tragic what happened.' Both businesses said it's a privilege to help support a community that's been through so much. 'When something terrible happens, the way you measure a group of people is how they come together and support each other,' Welch said. 'I don't know if any place could have ever done a better job supporting each other than Chatham has.' Although the walls of the kids camp have since been patched up, the memory of the tragedy remains. Chatham Police have posted three other children who were hurt in the accident have gone home to their families. WCIA is unable to confirm if any children or adults still remain in the hospital recovering. Events are ongoing to support those impacted. On July 6, Chatham Strong Fest is hosting six bands at Chatham Community Park to raise money. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Illinois bill on governor's desk would require law enforcement to work with federal gun tracing database
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — When law enforcement finds a gun while investigating a crime scene, they can track its history on a national database called eTrace. A bill that passed both chambers of the statehouse would require all law enforcement agencies to use it. Illinois law enforcement agencies have been encouraged to partner with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' software in the past. But now a bill on the governor's desk would make that mandatory. Illinois bill strengthening rules on gun storage heads to Pritzker's desk Law enforcement leaders like Kenny Winslow of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police said many of the smallest departments didn't have the resources to participate before. 'It requires a lot of staffing hours to try to back trace this,' he said. Winslow said his organization is neutral on the final proposal. While the tool can be helpful for police to connect suspects to evidence and crime scenes, he said eTrace is not perfect. 'When people think that this is simple, that you put the information to a system that fits back all the information that you want, that's not how it works.' Winslow said. 'The trace system spits back information and potential, what we call hits, and then you fall off those heads on potential leads, and then those leads potentially lead you to somebody else that may have owned a gun.' Even with the flaws Winslow feels the eTrace system has, law enforcement said it's worth the effort to try to prevent violent crime in their communities. 'When you talk about gun violence, I think it's important that we do every step we can in order to try to curb that violence,' Winslow added. Bill heading to Pritzker's desk to prevent time limit on anesthesia Gun control advocates said tracing guns is an important part to prevent gun trafficking. 'If we have data on these recovered crime guns about who the original purchasers are, we can use that as a deterrent and to hold these folks accountable so that these guns are not moved into a secondary illegal market,' Kathleen Sances, the President of G-PAC, said. Sances added requiring more participation with eTrace will help it be successful. 'We'll be able to do a better job solving these crimes, tracing these crime guns and keeping our community safe,' she said. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was a major force behind the bill. 'We cannot truly prevent gun violence in our state unless we make sure all Illinois law enforcement agencies are using the best resources to trace crime guns,' Raoul said in a statement. The Illinois Attorney General also runs a statewide gun tracing database called Crime Gun Connect. Sances said half of all law enforcement agencies participate in that database. More information on eTrace can be found on the ATF's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
