Illinois State Police has released video from a July incident at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham that left a Missouri man dead.
The incident occurred around 9:27 a.m. July 5, after church security reported a suspicious man and vehicle. Effingham Police and Effingham County Sheriff’s deputies responded and identified the man as 36-year-old Allen O. Gattino of St. Charles, Missouri. The vehicle was reportedly stolen from Marion County.
ISP says officers attempted to restrain Gattino when a struggle occurred. During that struggle, Gattino produced a firearm, which discharged, striking him.
Gattino was initially taken to a local hospital and later airlifted to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he was pronounced dead. No one else was injured.
Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 investigated the shooting at the request of local authorities. The completed investigation has been submitted to the Effingham County State’s Attorney’s Office.
In accordance with ISP’s commitment to integrity and public transparency, the video of the shooting is being made available to the public and can be found by clicking HERE. ISP provided Gattino’s family an opportunity to view the video before it was publicly released.