Police say gunman who opened fire at Illinois farm store obtained ammunition inside business

Police: Illinois gunman got bullets inside store

MACOMB, Ill. — A young man who opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon inside a farm supply store before turning the weapon on himself entered without ammunition and obtained bullets at the store, police said Thursday.

Authorities said they still don’t know why Jonathan Labbe, 19, of Tennessee, Ill., started shooting inside the Farm King store in nearby Macomb on Wednesday. Labbe was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the housewares section. No one else was injured.

Police said Labbe was not associated with the store and left behind no note explaining his actions.

The gunfire sent customers and employees bolting for exits and seeking cover. Police blocked off streets and warned people to stay inside.

“We don’t believe at this time he was shooting at anyone in particular,” Police chief Curt Barker said at a news conference.

It’s unclear how Labbe obtained the ammunition inside the store, he said.

Of the 23 shots fired, roughly 16 were aimed at Macomb police when they tried to enter the business, Barker said. He said the rifle Labbe used was a modified AR-15, meaning it included additional parts.

It’s unclear if Labbe was the registered owner of the weapon or how he obtained it, Barker said.

Labbe’s mother came to the store and requested to speak to her son as he holed himself up inside, but she was unable to because police themselves couldn’t reach Labbe, the chief said.

Barker said Labbe’s cell phone was found in his vehicle and calls police made to the store went unanswered.

He said Labbe had past brushes with the law, but he would not elaborate. A booking photo provided by the McDonough County Sheriff’s Department shows that Labbe was arrested in August, but it was not immediately clear why.

Barker said Labbe worked in an animal shelter and was affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He once received a citizen’s award for helping police catch a fleeing individual in a drug case, the chief said.

Police initially feared Labbe was holding hostages. But Barker said Labbe did not take anyone captive, although some customers and employees were afraid to leave the store after holing up in an office when the shooting started. Police helped four adults and a small child escape from the office.

Barker asked the public not to rush to judgment about Labbe and to remember his family.

“The family is suffering now, he was a son and there is a mother right now out there who is grieving,” he said.