A 19-year-old from Bloomington was arrested Wednesday on murder charges in connection with the New Year's Eve shooting in Normal.
Dewon I.C. Griffin was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon at a residence in the 400 block of West Chestnut Street in Bloomington, Normal Police said. The U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force assisted in the arrest, police said.
Griffin is accused of fatally shooting Tariq L. Houston, 17, of Springfield at an apartment complex in northwest Normal on Dec. 31. Normal Police said it was an isolated incident apparently tied to a dispute at a party.
"Since Mr. Houston’s death, members of the Normal Police Department, in cooperation with our local, state and federal partners, have worked tirelessly on this investigation," Normal Police said in a statement late Wednesday.
Griffin's criminal record includes 2019 guilty pleas for aggravated battery of a peace officer (Class 2 felony), manufacturing or delivery of cannabis (Class 4 felony), and a misdemeanor charge of illegal possession of ammunition without a FOID card, court records show. He was placed on probation.
Also facing charges related to the shooting is Garrett Riley Ahlfield, 18, of Bloomington. After Houston was shot, Ahlfield allegedly walked up to the crowd and fired five rounds from a handgun into the air and then fled the area on foot.
Ahlfield was charged with nine weapons-related offenses. But police said he was not believed to be Houston's killer.
Charges against Griffin are pending with the McLean County state's attorney's office.
