On February 26th, 2019, Randy Pierson became the third person to be fired upon by a Rockford Police officer in six weeks.
Randy was a 56 year-old white man traveling from Minnesota who was wanted on fraud charges stemming from a business Randy owned.
Timothy Stec, then a 26 year veteran, initiated a stop on Pierson who was driving a white Dodge Ram towing a camper behind.
Per reports from Rockford Police officers, Stec initiated the stop after an alleged improper lane usage.
When Stec turned on his lights, Randy pulled onto the shoulder of Highway 20. Soon, a state trooper would arrive as backup. Stec and the trooper began to approach the vehicle, Stec on the drivers side & the trooper on the passengers side.
As they neared the car, Stec and trooper were allegedly witnesses to Randy grabbing a gun. Stec immediately shot into the drivers seat hitting Randy in the leg and stomach.
After being shot multiple times, according to Stec, Randy Pierson then turned the gun onto himself and fired.
It would later be proved that both the shots to his stomach and his head were fatal.
This was the eighteenth case investigated and justified by the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force.
This was the seventh case involving a suspect being shot while in a vehicle that was investigated and justified by the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force.
This was the fourth justified case officers alleged “suicide by cop”.
It was the 20th deadly force incident in the 2010’s and the seventh deadly force incident since Tom McNamara took mayoral office.
It was the third Rockford police shooting in six weeks having previously killed Kerry Blake and shot at Alexandro Elmore in separate incidents.