On December 23, 2024, at about 12:01 a.m., officers from the Morris Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at a residence in the 600 block of Armstrong Street in Morris, Illinois. They found 25-year-old James D. Arellano with a gunshot wound; he was taken to Morris Hospital and pronounced dead at 3:12 a.m. The Grundy County Coroner’s Office and Morris detectives remained involved and an autopsy was scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.

Police identified a suspect as 35-year-old Jerrell Blake of Morris. The 911 caller was a woman who reported that a man had shot her friend and who had a prior relationship with Blake. Blake fled the scene but was located about 30 minutes later in the 200 block of West Washington Street, detained, questioned and later charged with first-degree murder by the Grundy County State’s Attorney’s Office; he was booked into the Grundy County Jail. Investigators urged residents and businesses to review surveillance footage between 11:50 p.m. and 12:45 a.m. for any suspicious activity.

If anyone in the Morris area has dashcam or doorbell footage, or other information about the shooting, please contact the Morris Police Department.