Officials: Man arrested in connection with deadly shooting at Illinois Juneteenth celebration

WILLOWBROOK, Ill. — Months after a deadly shooting in Willowbrook, Illinois, happened at a Juneteenth day celebration, a suspect has been identified by officials and was arrested on Wednesday.

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DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced Friday that Anthony Mothershed, 19, made his first court appearance and has been charged with a count of aggravated discharge of a firearm - direction of another person and a count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Mothershed was denied pretrial release during the court appearance, Berlin said.

The shooting happened on June 18 in a parking lot at a strip mall in Willowbrook, according to The Associated Press. Hundreds of people were at the strip mall for a Juneteenth celebration.

The suspect and a group of others were outside a beauty supply store when Mothershed allegedly started shooting. According to the AP, it was a .45-caliber handgun. The handgun was fired in the direction of others at the celebration. Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene.

Berlin said that DuPage County sheriff’s deputies took Mothershed into custody on Wednesday.

One person was killed in the shooting and he was later identified as Reginald Meadows, 31, according to the AP. Twenty-two others were injured in the shooting.

“The violent conduct alleged against Mr. Mothershed is outrageous and will not be tolerated in DuPage County,” Berlin said. “A gathering of hundreds of people is no place for illegal guns, and my office stands ready to file the appropriate charges supported by evidence against anyone accused of behavior such as alleged in this case. The investigation into what turned a peaceful celebration into a deadly shooting continues to be extremely tedious and time-consuming, and I commend Sheriff Mendrick and the detectives involved who have invested countless hours to determine the truth about what actually happened that night. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Katie Rowe, Kristin Sullivan, and Joe Lindt for their efforts in bringing today’s charges against Mr. Mothershed.”

“I would like to commend the detectives of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office for tirelessly working on this case since its inception,” Mendrick said. “These investigators have put in thousands of hours of work to reach this outcome. We will vigorously continue our investigation to hold anyone involved in this incident accountable. I would also like to thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his team for their legal guidance and continued support throughout this investigation.”

Mothershed is expected to appear in court to be arraigned on Oct. 23, Berlin said.