Beloit man arrested in Janesville homicide
An Illinois man was shot and killed in Janesville early Sunday, and police arrested a Beloit man in connection with the crime Sunday night.
Barquis D. Odom, 32, is being held at the Rock County Jail on charges of first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Janesville police.
Eddie Lee Jones, 28, of Markham, Ill., was found wounded in the 100 block of S. Franklin St. shortly after midnight. He was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly after arrival.
An autopsy at the Dane County medical examiner’s office confirmed Jones was shot to death.
“Homicides in Janesville are pretty infrequent,” Janesville Police Chief David Moore said Monday. “The last one we had was over three years ago.”
Janesville police believe the homicide stemmed from an argument between Odom and Jones. Odom pulled out a handgun and shot Jones before fleeing the scene, police said.
Several witnesses identified Odom as the shooter, and police later located Odom driving a vehicle on the city’s west side, according to authorities. Odom was pulled over and taken into custody, police said.
Moore said he put almost all his officers on the case Sunday, and he hoped that the prompt resolution would restore a sense of safety to the community. He said teams of officers would be visiting the homes around the site of the homicide to offer reassurance to residents.