Police: Slew of black-on-black gang shootings in Peoria, double-homicide was domestic in nature…

Black-on-black violence in Peoria keeps making news.  At times, the Emergency Room at OSF Hospital in Peoria looks like an armed camp with all the police there to keep gang families from bringing their battles into the hospital.

From WEEK:

PEORIA (25News Now) – A community is hurting after nine people were shot in Peoria with two killed, and many are saying it will take a community-wide effort to stop the violence.

The city has had 95 victims so far this year, which is far ahead of the number of victims at this same time in 2022.

A mass shooting Wednesday night set off a series of retaliation shootings and threats. Six people were shot Wednesday night. Thursday morning, two more shootings led to the deaths of two people.

“These kids are in a war they didn’t sign up for,” Becky Rossman of Peoria’s Community Against Violence said.

To their credit, local cops are trying to act proactively against those who are toting guns illegally.  Like these three scholars…

How will we ever cure cancer if these three aspiring research scientists are locked up in prison?

From WMBD:

PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says three people were arrested Friday night in an effort, he says, to get guns off the street following the recent violence in South Peoria and beyond.

Watkins says the arrests came from two traffic stops, and that in addition to guns being seized, cash and illegal drugs were taken as well.

In one traffic stop, Carlos Zolicoffer, 21, was arrested on a count of Armed Violence and two cannabis possession charges.

In the other, Ivan Ellis, 29, and Paris Ambrose, 18, were arrested on counts of Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Firearm, and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.

Watkins says one of the guns seized was reported stolen from Michigan.

And the double-homicide from last weekend?  That was domestic in nature as a ne’er-do-well Rickey J. Payne shot his girlfriend in the face then bravely killed her 8-year-old son too.

Here’s the gory details of the woman’s demise from WMBD:

Prosecutors said Quadreka’s brother gave deputies Facebook messages of Quadreka saying she was afraid of Rickey and feared for her safety. The messages showed there was a history of domestic abuse in the relationship.

Initially, Rickey denied having the silver pistol found outside the home, but he later admitted to having it.

Rickey’s got a difficulty telling the truth it seems.

He told deputies he got into an argument with Quadreka inside the home on the first floor Wednesday night, and said the argument was allegedly over Quadreka receiving late-night messages.

Rickey’s got confidence issues, apparently.

Rickey said Quadreka had a gun of her own and that she pulled it out before putting it back. He said he then pulled out his gun, the silver pistol mentioned earlier, and Quadreka tried to take it from him.

In the struggle for the gun, Rickey said he overpowered her and the gun went off, shooting Quadreka in the face. When she got back up, Rickey said he shot her again.

Two things:  Rickey should have not pulled out the gun and he would still be robbing us of oxygen.  In fact, as a career criminal from Mississippi (and more felonies from Iowa), he shouldn’t have had a gun.

Secondly, I’ve wrestled over guns in training a lot doing gun retention and take-aways, and unless Ricky was a very skilled martial artist, I can’t see how a struggle would have resulted in a gunshot wound to her face.  I’m going to guess Ricky wasn’t skilled at anything.  And if it wasn’t for the woman he murdered, he would be back living with his mama even though he was 34-years-old.

Thirdly:  She was shot in the face and got up?  So he shot her some more?  What was it, a .22 short Beretta Minx or something?

Rickey said Cael kept coming downstairs to investigate the noise, despite Rickey telling him to stay upstairs.

Rickey said he then followed Cael upstairs and shot the eight-year-old boy twice in the head. He said he killed the boy because Cael was preventing him from cleaning up the mess downstairs, referring to Quadreka.

It takes a brave and strong man to kill an 8-year-old boy.

The twins were not harmed in the incident.

Rickey deserves a death from a torn rectum.

Here’s his photo.

But wait!  We couldn’t stop this post with “666” as the word count!  Peoria’s police chief and others held a pizza party at Manual High School on Friday, where only 16% of the student body showed up after all the gang shootings of late.

16%.

Anyone want to hazard a guess on how many students and Manual High School can read at grade level?

ONE PERCENT.

ONE PERCENT.

And people wonder why gangs are flourishing in Peoria.

Without a decent education, all these kids have is the “glamorous” gang lifestyle of drugs, money, guns and violence.  They want to be just like their big brothers in Chicago.

Unfortunately for them, life isn’t a video game.  And slinging dope, terrorizing the neighborhood and acting like thugs isn’t conducive to a long, productive life.