ILLINOIS STATE POLICE RELEASES VIDEO OF OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING IN EAST ST. LOUIS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2026
January 23, 2026
EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Internal Investigation is investigating an officer involved shooting in East. St. Louis.
On January 4, 2026, at approximately 10:08 p.m., Troopers were investigating reports of a stolen vehicle at a convenience store in the 4500 block of South State Street in East St. Louis, IL. After coming to a stop, the driver, 40-year-old Rachel E. Tarrence of Maryville, IL immediately put the vehicle in reverse, hitting an ISP squad car. Troopers outside of their vehicles gave commands for Tarrence to show her hands and put the vehicle in park. Tarrence did not comply and instead drove forward. The Trooper fired his weapon striking Tarrence. The time from the squad car being struck to shots being fired is estimated to be eight seconds. The Troopers called EMS and immediately began rendering medical aid. EMS transported Tarrence to an area hospital where she was pronounced deceased. Two passengers in the vehicle, an adult male and a child, were not injured in the crash or shooting. No Troopers were injured.
In accordance with the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (50 ILCS 727) and the Illinois State Police Law (20 ILCS 2605), ISP Division of Internal Investigation Special Agents are investigating this incident. All information and evidence of events before, during, and after the officer involved shooting are being provided to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office for its review.
In accordance with ISP’s commitment to integrity and public transparency, the video of the event is being made available to the public and can be found HERE. This video is being released after consultation with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office. ISP provided Tarrence’s family the opportunity to review the video before its release to the public.
Per standard protocol, the involved Trooper has been placed on administrative status pending the outcome of the investigation. As part of its investigation, ISP is identifying any and all possible violations of ISP policy, rules of conduct, and training standards.
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