On February 26, 2019, Randy Pierson, a 56-year-old white man from Minnesota wanted on fraud charges connected to a business he owned, became the third person fired upon by a Rockford Police officer in six weeks. Rockford officer Timothy Stec, a 26-year veteran, initiated a traffic stop on Pierson, who was driving a white Dodge Ram towing a camper, allegedly for improper lane usage.
After Stec activated his lights, Randy pulled onto the shoulder of Highway 20. A state trooper arrived as backup, and the two officers approached the vehicle, with Stec on the driver’s side and the trooper on the passenger side. According to police reports, both officers saw Randy grab a gun, prompting Stec to immediately fire into the driver’s seat, striking Randy in the leg and stomach.
Stec later stated that after being shot multiple times, Randy turned the gun on himself and fired. It was later determined that both the stomach wounds and the gunshot to the head were fatal.
This incident was the 18th case investigated and deemed justified by the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force. It was also the seventh justified case involving a suspect shot while inside a vehicle, the fourth case ruled “suicide by cop,” the 20th deadly force incident of the 2010s, and the seventh deadly force incident since Tom McNamara took office. It was also the third Rockford police shooting in six weeks, following the killing of Kerry Blake and the shooting involving Alexandro Elmore.