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September 21, 2011
Carbondale Police Chief Jody O’Guinn’s personal handgun may have been used in the shooting of a 20-year-old Carbondale man.
“My prayers and deepest sympathy go out to the family of this young man, and I grieve with them in their loss,” O’Guinn said in a statement posted Friday on the Carbondale Police Department website.
According to the statement, he reported the handgun stolen from his locked vehicle in June.
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Officers responded to reports of gun shots at the 400 block of North Brush Street Sept. 14 at 1:55 a.m. Officers arrived at the scene to find Deaunta R. Spencer shot. Spencer was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale where he was pronounced dead.
“I am devastated and deeply saddened that this gun, which was secured within my personal vehicle, was stolen and subsequently may have been used to take the life of another,” O’Guinn said in the statement.
According to the statement, the handgun was located during an ongoing Carbondale Police Department investigation. Matthew J. Jones, an 18-year-old man from Carbondale, was charged with three counts of murder for Spencer’s death.
“Although this is an unspeakable tragedy, it is comforting to know that the weapon has been recovered and cannot be used in the commission of further crimes,” O’Guinn said in the statement.
Jones faces a preliminary court hearing Sept. 29.
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