A federal agent of the Springfield, Illinois FBI office is in stable condition following a shooting yesterday with a suspected wanted man in connection with the shooting of a police officer. Darcy “Clint” Pendleton, 35 of Bellflower, Ill. was found dead inside an abandoned house near the Sulphur Springs General Baptist Church in rural Pope County early Sunday morning.
The FBI shooting in Illinois prompted authorities to put additional police officers at the scene. State Police Captain Bill Sons spoke briefly to reporters Sunday afternoon, giving only a few details about the death of Pendleton.
“Darcy ‘Clint’ Pendleton is no longer a threat,” said Sons. “At approximately 12:09 Sunday morning, SWAT officers observed Pendleton running south from the Sulphur Springs Baptist Church cemetery. He was armed with a rifle and bandoleer. He ran into a dense woods where he was tracked about a half mile to an abandoned house. At approximately 5 a.m., Pendleton opened fire, striking a member of an FBI SWAT team.”
The FBI agent, not identified, was flown from the scene to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville and later transferred to a hospital in St. Louis. “The FBI agent will be OK,” said Sean Cox, Special Agent in Charge of the Springfield, Ill. Bureau. “We are incredibly grateful that the Mahomet police officer is going to be OK and the FBI agent will be OK.” The name of the agent has not been released.
After the FBI agent was shot, a massive influx of additional police resources poured into the area, setting up a perimeter around the house where Pendleton was believed to be holed up. “We sent in a remote control robot and found Pendleton’s body in a room on the second story. We eventually confirmed his identity.” The cause of Pendleton’s death has not been released.
The manhunt for Pendleton started the night of Saturday, May 7. Police say the suspect was pulled over by a Mahomet police officer in front of his home for a traffic infraction. A confrontation ensued and the Mahomet officer attempted to shoot Pendleton with a Tazer. “Pendleton pulled a gun and shot the officer,” said Sons. “Pendleton then went into his home and retrieved a firearm and ammunition.”
From there, police say Pendleton drove to a nearby quarry where he stole a pickup and drove to Pope County where he was spotted by a local resident last Sunday night. The first confirmed sighting of Pendleton came around 9:15 last Monday night. Police were told that Pendleton had apparently suffered a gunshot wound to his neck from the exchange of gunfire with the Mahomet officer. He had shaved his beard, trimmed his hair.
Authorities in Champaign County said Pendleton previously lived in Pope County. Court records show that in February of 2012 he was arrested in Pope County after he threatened an individual with a gun. He was initially charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, stalking and four counts of criminal trespass. In November of 2012, he entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault of a person over age 60 and drew a 30 day jail sentence and was ordered to pay $3,000 in fines, fees and court costs.
Illinois State Police say their investigation into Pendleton’s death is ongoing. The area where his body was found will remain sealed off until at least Monday night, police said. FBI officials said a team from Washington D.C. will also join the investigation into the shooting of one of their agents.
