The death of a 10-year-old boy occurred when he was accidentally shot during a drug deal gone wrong, according to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Maurice D. Sargent, 33, was formally charged Thursday with first-degree murder and another charge of being an armed habitual criminal for his alleged role in the shooting death of Torres L. Johnson II, who was also known as Lamar.
The district attorney’s office said Thursday during a detention hearing that Johnson’s death was the result of a Sunday night marijuana deal between Sargent and a pair of minors in the 600 block of West Romeo B. Garrett Avenue. The boy who was shot was not involved in the drug deal and was just walking by when the shooting occurred in the middle of an attempted robbery.
Officers with the Peoria Police Department were notified of the shooting Sunday evening around 7:30 p.m. Upon arrival, they found Johnson’s body in the grass with a gunshot wound to the chest.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The detention hearing was continued until Friday, with Sargent in the Peoria County Jail in the meantime. State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos lamented the circumstances behind Johnson’s death and promised justice for his family.
“When you deal drugs, carry a gun and shoot it, this is the end result: the murder of an innocent 10-year-old boy,” Hoos said in a statement. “My office will do everything in its power to get justice for Torres and his family.”
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This article originally appeared in Journal Star: Prosecutors: Failed drug deal in Peoria led to boy’s shooting death
