In the late evening of January 30th, 2007, a description of a stolen vehicle was broadcast to all police officers.
Rockford police officer Oda Poole found the vehicle and followed it into a residential driveway on Fairview Avenue. Inside the vehicle
was Bill Peavy and Robert Evitt.
Poole alleged the driver, Bill, exited the vehicle and faced Poole. The two exchanged words before Bill got back into the car and reversed into Poole’s squad car. Poole then shot into the Ford Contour at both Bill and Robert.
Bill drove off before crashing into a chainlink fence at Avon and Mulberry.
Police found Robert bleeding just outside the car and Bill behind a building nearby.
This was the second Rockford police shooting in less than five days in 2007.
It was the 11th deadly force incident in the 2000’s.
Poole was on desk duty for two weeks before the grand jury cleared him of charges which allowed him to return to regular duty.
This was the first police shooting involving Poole as a Rockford police officer and his third as a cop. He previously had two shooting incidents as a cop in Washington D.C.