UPDATED 2:45 p.m.
New Canton, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – What started out as an “active situation” by authorities in Pike County has turned in to a double-homicide, and the alleged shooter is also dead.
That’s according to Illinois State Police, who say they’ve been asked by authorities there to investigate.
They say it started around 6:00 a.m. Thursday in New Canton..
A woman who had been shot at a home on the 300 block of Mississippi Street told investigators Gerald Waligorski, 67, had made threatening statements about her parents.
Following an immediate welfare check at the parents’ home on the 200 block of Monroe Street, they found the mother and father of the victim dead inside.
After five hours of waiting in the 300 block of Mississippi Street, a SWAT team entered the suspect’s home and found Waligorski dead.
The investigation is ongoing. The female victim was taken by helicopter to an area hospital. Her condition isn’t known. It’s not clear if there’s any connection to Waligorski and the victims.
Pike County authorities had asked residents of New Canton to stay in their homes with the doors locked for the balance of the situation. Several schools were on a “soft lockdown” or went into a “secure mode” as a precaution during the investigation.
This is a developing story.
