Man accused of attempted murder in 2021 DeKalb Quick Stop shooting

DeKALB – A DeKalb man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with a 2021 shooting near a Quick Stop convenience store that left another man suffering gunshot wounds to his leg, records show.

Terrance R. Holmes-Ellison, 31, is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony; one count of armed violence, also a Class X felony; three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm; possession of a weapon by a felon; possession of ammunition by a felon; criminal damage to property; and misdemeanor counts of possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition, both without a FOID card.

If convicted of the most serious charge, attempted murder, Holmes-Ellison could face 30 years to life in prison.

Prosecutors this week argued to detain Holmes-Ellison, pointing to his criminal record and alleging that he’d endanger the public if released, pending trial. A petition to deny release was filed by the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office before a pretrial release hearing Wednesday in front of Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen.

“You have a person who is in an altercation in public in a store. He then walks to a place where the person he had the altercation is in. And then fires numerous shots at that person and a vehicle these two people are in,” prosecutor Scott Schwertley said.

Prosecutors allege that Holmes-Ellison shot a man after the two got into an argument about midnight Oct. 14, 2021, in the 1100 block of Varsity Boulevard, according to DeKalb County court records. DeKalb police responded to the area for a report of a shooting. When they arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound to his leg. The victim was taken by paramedics to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb and later transferred to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.

During their investigation, DeKalb police also found multiple spent bullet shell casings in the area. Through video surveillance from surrounding buildings, phone records and interviews with the victim and two witnesses, police alleged that the victim struck Holmes-Ellison in the face, and then went back outside, according to court records. Video footage allegedly showed the victim standing outside of a parked vehicle talking to two women who were inside the vehicle.

Footage also showed Holmes-Ellison inside and out of the Quick Stop multiple hours before the altercation, according to court records. Police allege that the footage also showed the shooter, later identified as Holmes-Ellison, walking to the direction of the vehicle, looking at where the victim was standing, and then walking west while muzzle flashes could be seen in the area where the bullet shells later were found.

The vehicle the women were in also was struck twice by gunfire, according to court records.

Holmes-Ellison then was seen on the footage running north on Pappas Drive to the 1000 block of North Annie Glidden Road, court records show.

During a police interview, Holmes-Ellison admitted that he had gotten into an argument with the man sometime in October 2021 but claimed to have no knowledge of the shooting, records show .

During his pretrial release hearing Wednesday, Holmes-Ellison also denied having any criminal record in Illinois, despite court officials stating otherwise.

At the time of the shooting, Holmes-Ellison was on parole for a a burglary conviction out of Ohio, prosecutors said. He also has charges for fleeing, attempting to elude a police officer and endangering a child out of McHenry County, Schwertley said. Holmes-Ellison also has a history of failing to appear for court hearings, Pedersen said.

Defense attorney Brian Crowley of the DeKalb County Public Defenders Office argued that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to point to Holmes-Ellison as the one who held the gun and pulled the trigger. He said it’s not clear by police reports that his client knew the victim or two witnesses named in court records.

“I think the state’s argument fails in showing that he’s a danger to the community,” Crowley said. “This person is not a danger to the community. The person who did the shooting may be, but I would argue the state was not able to meet their burden on today’s date.”

Pedersen ruled to detain Holmes-Ellison pending trial, pointing to police reports of the shooting, Holmes-Ellison’s criminal history and a lack of conditions that could be ordered to mitigate any public threat if released.

Holmes-Ellison is next expected to appear for arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 3.