Police identify suspect in Evolve Apartments shooting

Police identify suspect in Evolve Apartments shooting

By Bill Lukitsch, @Bill_LukitschDE

Carbondale police are looking for Daniel D. Holmes  as a suspect wanted in connection with a Tuesday evening shooting at an apartment complex near the university. 

Holmes, 21, of Carbondale, is wanted for aggravated battery with a firearm related to an incident that left one wounded at Evolve Apartments at SIU. Holmes is a black male, 6-foot-2, with short black hair, and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Police responded to reports of a shooting about 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 700 block of South Illinois Avenue. The single victim, a 19-year-old male whose identity has not been released, was struck by a bullet in his lower back and sustained a non-life threatening injury, according to police.

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The victim was transported to Carbondale Memorial Hospital for treatment, said police, who had released no further information about his condition as of Wednesday evening.  

Investigators determined the victim is an acquaintance of Holmes. The two were visiting with residents before they became involved in a dispute that led to the shooting. 

Holmes fled the scene and his current location was not known by police as of Wednesday evening. 

Amanda Neuhouser, who lives down the hall from where the shooting took place, said she got home approximately five minutes after the gun went off.

“There was like a girl yelling, just shouting random stuff and maybe four or five cops outside the door securing the situation,” said Neuhouser, a junior from Bloomington studying cinema. 

Evolve issued a statement to tenants Tuesday that said neither the victim or the man wanted by police are believed to be residents.

“Evolve apartments takes the safety and security of our residents very seriously and will continue to assist the Carbondale police with their ongoing investigation,” Carla Tifft, general manager of the apartments, said in a statement. 

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The apartment complex provided police with surveillance video of the suspect officials have identified as Holmes fleeing the scene, Tifft said.

SIU spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said Holmes is not affiliated with the university. 

The incident at the apartments is the fifth example of gun violence reported by the Daily Egyptian this year.

Interim Chancellor William Bradley Colwell addressed the recent surge of gun violence in the city in an email sent to SIUC students Wednesday afternoon. He said the university has “strong crime prevention and enforcement initiatives,” including night safety transit and strict regulations banning guns on campus.

“While the incidents are under investigation and many details are not yet available, we must acknowledge that they occurred and do everything we can as an extended community to prevent similar events from happening in the future,” Colwell said. “Together, we can all contribute to the safety of our campus and community.”

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Carbondale Police Department at 618-457-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 618-549-COPS (2677).

Bill Lukitsch can be reached at [email protected] or 618-536-3329.

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