A five-week search for a Kankakee man accused in a fatal shooting ended Thursday when authorities found him in Arkansas, according to police. Isaiah H. Houston, 21, is accused of killing a local man and wounding the victim’s father during the June 21 attack.
As reported by Shaw Local, Houston was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force and an Arkansas Department of Corrections K-9 unit. Authorities searched for about four hours after Houston allegedly fled on foot into a wooded area while armed, and a loaded firearm was recovered.
The shooting happened June 21 in the 1100 block of East Merchant Street in Kankakee. Earlier coverage from Shaw Local identified the victim as 40-year-old Randal D. Young, who was shot in the head and later pronounced dead at Riverside Medical Center.
Young’s 59-year-old father was also shot in the head but suffered a non-life-threatening injury, police said. Officers found both men in a front yard after responding to reports of gunfire, and detectives collected evidence while interviewing witnesses.
Kankakee police obtained an arrest warrant for Houston in late June charging him with first-degree murder. Police Chief Chris Kidwell said Houston was taken into custody without incident, but it is not yet known when he will be returned to Kankakee County; investigators do not anticipate additional arrests in the case, according to the latest report.
What The Murder Charge Means
Illinois law defines first-degree murder to include killings committed with intent to kill or cause great bodily harm, or acts known to create a strong probability of death or great bodily harm, according to the Illinois General Assembly. The warrant is an allegation, not a conviction, and the case must proceed through the Kankakee County court system.
