Crime
Gerald Waligorski Dies by Self-Inflicted Gunshot After Shooting Wife and Killing Her Parents in Pike County Shooting Spree
NEW CANTON, Ill. — Authorities in Pike County are investigating a deadly shooting spree that left two people dead, one person critically injured, and the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 67-year-old Gerald E. Waligorski, of New Canton, was identified as the suspect. Deputies discovered his body inside his residence following a search warrant executed by a SWAT team.
According to Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Orr, deputies were dispatched around 6 a.m. Thursday to a home in the 300 block of Mississippi Street in New Canton after receiving reports of gunfire.
Upon arrival, officers located Waligorski’s wife suffering from a gunshot wound. She told police that her husband had shot her and threatened her parents. The woman was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment.
In response to her statement, officers conducted a welfare check at her parents’ residence in the 200 block of Monroe Street, where they tragically found both victims deceased from gunshot wounds. Their identities have not yet been released pending notification of family members.
As law enforcement searched for Waligorski, local authorities issued warnings to residents to remain indoors, describing the situation as an active shooter threat. Nearby schools, including Griggsville-Perry School District, Western School District, and Pikeland CUSD 10, were placed on soft lockdown as a precaution.
A SWAT team later executed a search warrant at Waligorski’s residence, where he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office stated that the motive behind the killings remains under investigation. Officials with the Hull Kinderhook Fire Protection District confirmed the area is now secure, and law enforcement agencies have lifted all lockdown measures.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.