Local News

Man Shoots Himself, Allegedly Steals Car in Hillsboro

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 08:15:33 CDT

A 43-year-old man allegedly stole a car and shot himself outside a Taylorville hospital Monday afternoon hours after wounding three people.

Lee Wayne Kennedy shot himself in the head around 4 p.m. Monday after leading police on a pursuit that ended outside Taylorville Memorial Hospital. He was taken inside the hospital for treatment before being transferred to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. The state of his condition has not been released at this time.

According to the Taylorville Police, Kennedy arrived at a residence on South Walnut Street in Taylorville at around 5 a.m. Monday and allegedly began shooting. Three victims were wounded, including a 13-year-old girl, and were taken to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

According to Taylorville Police Chief Brian Hile, the mother of the 13-year-old had an order of protection against Kennedy due to an ongoing domestic situation; and over the past few days, Kennedy had posted threatening messages on his Facebook page.

After the shooting in Taylorville, Kennedy fled the scene and went missing for several hours. The white truck he was driving was found at McDonald's in Hillsboro, which prompted Hillsboro School Superintendent David Powell to place schools on administrative lockdown. Hile said that Kennedy stole a gray Ford Focus while in Hillsboro, and fled again. At around 3 p.m., he allegedly committed an armed robbery at the Colonial Pantry in Stonington and left before officers arrived.

After the robbery, officers spotted Kennedy on a rural road and began a pursuit, which ended at the Taylorville Hospital around 4 p.m.

The identities of the victims and the condition of Kennedy's injuries have not been released at this time. WSMI News will have more information on this story as it becomes available.