MOLINE, Ill. — A man suspected of shooting and killing two people Wednesday in Moline at two separate locations has fatally shot himself, according to Moline Police Department Chief of Police Darren Gault.
On Wednesday around 9:40 a.m., Moline police responded to a residence in the 3300 block of 25th Avenue where they found 55-year-old Steven Herring dead from a gunshot wound.
Less than an hour later, police responded to a home in the 1800 block of 46th Street where they discovered 79-year-old Donna Ericson dead from a gunshot wound.
A single shell casing was found at both residences.
Detectives later identified 55-year-old Chad Hillyer of Aledo as the suspect. Hillyer was the son of Ericson and a close friend of Herring. Investigators gathered evidence including cell phone records, and residential, commercial and city video footage to identify Hillyer's white 2007 GMC truck near both residences Wednesday morning.
At 7:30 p.m., Moline police executed a search warrant at Hillyer's Aledo residence but did not find him. Police did find a shell casing at the residence, which was transported to the Davenport Police Department along with the two aforementioned shell casings for processing through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. An analysis confirmed that all three shell casings were fired from the same gun.
Police locate Chad Hillyer in Coralville
On Wednesday at 9 p.m., the Coralville, Iowa Police Department responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle on a rural road near I-380. Police found Hillyer inside, dead from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a handgun. The Johnson County Medical Examiner is investigating Hillyer's death.
Autopsy results released
Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson told News 8 on Friday that an autopsy revealed both Ericson and Herring died from gunshot wounds to the chest.
The Moline Police Criminal Investigation Division continues to investigate this case with assistance from the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations Division. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 309-797-0401 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500 or through the P3 Tips App.