Police investigate March 16 murder on 15th Avenue

Online Staff Report

Shortly after 1:30 a.m., Saturday, March 16, officers from the Rockford Police Department responded to the 1500 block of South Sixth Street in reference to shots fired.

When they arrived in the area, the officers located a vehicle that had crashed in the 1100 block of 15th Avenue. Four people occupied the vehicle and two of the individuals in the vehicle had been injured by gunfire. The driver of the vehicle, 21-year-old William R. Patrick of Rockford, was pronounced dead at the scene. One of the passengers, 22-year-old Samantha P. Colson of Rockford, was transported to a local hospital, where she is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Based on the information gathered to this point, the incident appears to be the result of some type of verbal altercation between Patrick and the driver of another vehicle. Detectives from the Rockford Police Department are conducting a follow-up investigation into the homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Rockford Police Department at (815) 987-5824 or Crime Stoppers at (815) 963-7867.

Posted March 18, 2013