A Hopkinsville man has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a Wayne County, Illinois sheriff’s deputy early Wednesday morning.
Illinois State Police say Deputy Sean Riley responded to a motorist assist call on Interstate 64 in southern Illinois about 5 a.m.
When another officer arrived on scene, they found Deputy Riley dead at the scene and his cruiser was gone and located a short distance away to the east.
Police believe that the suspect, 40-year old Ray Tate of Hopkinsville, car-jacked a tractor-trailer at that location and then forced him to drive to a gas station in St. Peters, Missouri.
Police say while in Missouri, a series of robberies, shootings and carjackings occurred until Tate allegedly traveled back into Illinois in another stolen car with a kidnapped victim.
He allegedly committed a home invasion in Clinton County, Illinois and held the resident and kidnapping victim hostage until an ISP SWAT team was able to take him into custody without incident.
Tate was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
