Chief Deputy Tommy Kent Martin

Tommy Kent Martin

Chief Deputy Tommy Martin succumbed to gunshot wounds suffered one month earlier while responding to a home invasion call in Camargo in which two suspects fled the victim's home in his pickup truck and the van of a second victim who interrupted the robbery.

As Chief Deputy Martin passed the two suspect vehicles, one of the men opened fire, striking him in the face and chest. He was taken to Carle Foundation Hospital where he died from his wounds one month later.

The suspects then fled, abandoning the pickup truck and led police on a high-speed chase, firing at officers as they headed south on Interstate 57. Exiting at Arcola, they headed west on Illinois Route 133 before crashing the van as they crossed railroad tracks just east of U.S. 45.

Officers immediately apprehended one suspect who was still in the van. The other suspect fled on foot and ran into the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust where he took five hostages. After releasing four of them, he later surrendered with the last hostage after a seven-hour standoff.

One suspect was sentenced to life in prison for Chief Deputy Martin's murder. The other suspect, convicted of home invasion and aggravated kidnapping, was sentenced to two consecutive, 30-year terms.

Chief Deputy Martin had served with the Douglas County Sheriff's Department for three years and had previously served with the Illinois State Police for 24 years. He was also a US Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. Chief Deputy Martin was survived by his son, daughter, brother and three grandchildren.