Inset: Jaquon L. Timothy (Peoria County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in Peoria where Timothy allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend (Google Maps).
A 23-year-old man in Illinois was arrested for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend in a twisted effort to show the new woman he was dating how he felt about her. Jaquon L. Timothy was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, authorities announced.
“Timothy was charged last week in connection with the July shooting of his ex-girlfriend, which was allegedly carried out as a way to prove his love to his new girlfriend,” a news release from the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
According to the release, officers with the City of Peoria Police Department at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, responded to a call about shots being fired in the 2300 block of West Starr Street in South Peoria. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they located the victim suffering from apparent “gunshot wounds to her feet.”
The victim, whose name was not included in the release, was identified as Timothy’s ex-girlfriend. She was transported to a local hospital and admitted with non-life-threatening injuries, Semone Roth, a spokesperson for Peoria Police, reportedly told local CBS affiliate WMBD. She had been shot in both of her feet.
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Investigators then tracked down and spoke to Timothy’s current girlfriend. The current girlfriend allegedly told police that Timothy had spoken with her prior to the attack, telling her that “he would shoot his ex-girlfriend,” the release says.
The current girlfriend also revealed that after the victim was shot, Timothy “told her he had carried it out,” authorities allege.
Police said they obtained and executed a search warrant on Timothy’s cellphone. During the search, investigators allegedly uncovered a text message “claiming ownership of the shooting.”
Timothy was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 18. The following day, he appeared before Peoria County Judge Mark E. Gilles, who ordered Timothy to remain in custody without bond.
It was not immediately clear when Timothy was scheduled to appear in court again.
If convicted, Timothy faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in a state correctional facility.
Authorities are urging anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact police at 309-673-4521.
The alleged shooting is not Timothy’s first run-in with the law. In 2022, he pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to steal and possess firearms from a federal firearms licensee, stealing from a federal firearms licensee, and possession of a stolen firearm, the Justice Department said. He served a two-year sentence, which was followed by three years of supervised release. The charges stemmed from the theft of nine firearms during the burglary of a gun store in the fall of 2020.
