Court Appearance Scheduled For Accused Rockford Gunman

WINNEBAGO COUNTY, IL — The initial court appearance for Floyd Brown, the suspect accused of fatally shooting McHenry County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Keltner Thursday at the Extended Stay America Hotel in the 700 block of North Bell School Road, is scheduled for 1 p.m. March 11 at a Rockford courthouse, according to Rockford police. Brown is charged with first-degree murder in the deputy's death, officials announced Thursday night.

As of Friday morning, Brown was not yet in Winnebago County. His hearing will take place in Room 5200 at the Stanley J. Roszkowski United States Courthouse, 327 South Church St., Rockford, police added.

The Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office has authorized charges of first-degree murder and a warrant was obtained with no bond for Brown, who is accused of shooting Deputy Keltner outside the hotel while Keltner and fellow members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Brown.

Brown, 39, of Springfield, was being transported back to Winnebago County after Illinois State Police troopers arrested him around 5 p.m. Thursday, nearly eight hours after 35-year-old Keltner, sworn in as a special deputy U.S. marshal, was shot.

Police said they responded at around 9:15 a.m. to the hotel after receiving a report that a task force member had been shot while U.S. marshals were attempting to arrest Brown on several outstanding warrants, including burglary charges out of McLean and Champaign counties; failure to appear out of Sangamon County; and parole violation via the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).

The U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, Western Division, authorized attempted murder charges against Brown. Charges will be updated accordingly, officials said, adding that this is a crime for which the possibility of the death penalty is not ruled out.

RELATED: 'Loved And Respected' Deputy Dies After Rockford Shooting

The Rockford Police Department said Brown drove away from the Rockford area after the incident in a gray or silver Mercury Grand Marquis with an Illinois license plate number of BF13112. Troopers with the Illinois State Police later found the vehicle on southbound I-55 between Bloomington and Springfield in Logan County. Rockford police added that when troopers tried to stop the vehicle, it crashed and Brown was later taken into custody by Illinois State Police.

Law enforcement agencies had barricaded an area on southbound I-55 near Lincoln during a standoff with Brown. Northbound and southbound I-55 were shut down in the area.

Related: Trooper Fatally Hit On I-294

Rockford police said a female acquaintance of the suspect was also inside the hotel room during the shooting and sustained a gunshot wound from Brown, who was apparently using a rifle. She was taken to a Rockford hospital for treatment, according to police, who said they do not believe she was shot by law enforcement as Rockford Police said no rounds were fired by authorities.

According to records from IDOC and Sangamon County court records, Brown's trouble with the law dates back to 1995. There are more than a dozen pages listing charges against Brown in Sangamon County, including resisting a peace office and criminal misdemeanors. IDOC records include 2001 felony charges of possessing a weapon, 2011 residential burglary conviction and prison sentence, followed by a disorderly conduct charge, and then an emergency order of protection that expired during July 2018.

Brown also had several other charges, speeding tickets and violations before he spent time in prison.

Keltner is Illinois' second law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty this year.

Illinois State Trooper Christopher Lambert lost his life after he was struck by a car while helping victims of a crash on I-294 on Jan. 12.

So far in 2019, there have been 23 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty across the U.S.