A late-night domestic dispute outside Pekin exploded into gunfire and a multi-county police chase that only ended when state troopers forced an SUV into a ditch and arrested the driver. Two women were wounded and rushed to area hospitals, and investigators say they are still piecing together what happened.
Just before 10:46 p.m. Sunday, officers were called to a home on East Blankenbaker Road near Pekin for reports of a domestic battery and shots fired. Investigators allege that 33-year-old Aaron Scott Wilson Thornberry assaulted a woman inside the residence, then opened fire as a second woman pulled into the driveway. Both women were taken to hospitals, one to University of Louisville Hospital and the other to Ascension Saint Vincent Salem, and Thornberry allegedly took off in a black Ford Explorer, according to WAVE.
High-speed chase across three counties
Troopers later spotted the Explorer on State Road 56 in Scott County and tried to pull it over. Police say the driver refused to stop, triggering a pursuit that wound through Scott, Jefferson and Clark counties. Officers deployed stop sticks in an effort to slow the SUV, and a trooper then used a PIT maneuver that sent the vehicle into a ditch. Thornberry was taken into custody at the scene without additional injuries reported.
Serious charges, ongoing probe
Thornberry now faces a long list of preliminary charges. Officials say those include two counts of attempted murder, criminal confinement, machine gun possession and operation, intimidation and multiple domestic battery counts. He is being held at the Washington County Jail while detectives continue collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses, according to WAVE.
Recent violence in the area
The arrest follows another recent act of gun violence in Washington County. In mid-June, a 17-year-old from Pekin was found shot and killed after a crash on a Salem back road, a case detailed in an earlier report on a teen driver found shot dead after crash. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information on either incident to contact law enforcement.
Officials have not released the names of the shooting victims from Sunday night. The investigation remains active, and more details could be released as officers finish processing evidence and wrap up interviews.
