Quincy Police says fugitive who died in Dec. 20 gunfight in Lewis County wanted to kill as many officers as possible

MARION COUNTY, Mo. — A Quincy man who was shot to death during a confrontation with law enforcement officers on Dec. 20 reportedly had planned to kill as many law enforcement officers as he could.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Department reported Thursday that the body of Britney D. Hoffman-Kelly was found at approximately 4 p.m. Thursday in rural Marion County. Hoffman-Kelly was reported missing on Dec. 19, 2024, after last being seen in St. Charles with her husband, Chadwick Kelly, on Dec. 14.

Chadwick Kelly was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections in July after serving nine-and-a-half years of a 23-year sentence for home invasion with a firearm. On the afternoon of Dec. 20, he was holding a woman in the residence against her will in a home in La Belle. The woman held captive in the residence was not his wife.

The female victim eventually escaped from the residence. Chadwick Kelly died later that night during a gunfight with law enforcement later that night.

The Quincy Police Department reported in a Friday morning press release that a large-scale multi-agency search was conducted on County Road 439 for much of the day Wednesday, based on information obtained by search warrants and hours of data analysis by detectives from the St. Charles City Police Department and Quincy Police detectives. After seeing searchers in the area, a nearby landowner checked their property and discovered the body of Hoffman-Kelly and notified the sheriff’s department.

“We would like to thank the two individuals who came forward, which included a member of the suspect’s family who began this investigation,” the release said. “They shared the information that the suspect shared with them, including what he had already done to Ms. Hoffman and of his intent to kill as many law enforcement officers as possible. He made clear his intention was to be killed by law enforcement to avoid going back to prison but not before killing as many officers as possible before that would happen.

“We were able to locate the suspect and notify authorities in Lewis County (Mo.) of what his intentions were. This allowed them to approach more cautiously, which undoubtedly saved countless officers’ lives on that day.”

Law enforcement officials said at the time they were considering Hoffman-Kelly’s case a homicide even though a body was not yet accounted for. Numerous searches over four counties took place during the last month, culminating with this discovery.

Capt. Ray Floyd and detectives with the St. Charles City Police Department, Sheriff David Parrish and deputies with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Carl Knoche and deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Jimmy Shinn and detectives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, detectives with the Hannibal Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Tri-Township Fire Department drone operators, the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office, the cadaver dog teams of Advanced K-9 Services of Southern Illinois all assisted in the investigation.

While law enforcement officials say the investigation remains open, the press release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department said they believe no immediate public threat associated with the case remains.