Three juveniles, two adults charged with robbery in connection with October shooting death of teen in Quincy home

QUINCY — Five arrests have been made in connection with the October shooting death of a teenage girl in October, but none of them are directly related to her death.

Tristian L. Johnson, 23, of Quincy and Fallon M. Gillum, 20, of Quincy were arrested on warrants for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Both are lodged in the Adams County Jail. 

Johnson made his first appearance in Adams County Circuit Court before Judge Mark Vincent Monday afternoon. He and Gillum will be back in court Tuesday afternoon.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Josh Jones and Laura Keck appeared for the state. Public Defender Todd Nelson represented Johnson at today’s hearing.

Three Quincy juveniles also were arrested on warrants for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. They were lodged in the Adams County Juvenile Detention Center. 

Neither the Adams County Coroner’s Office nor the Quincy Police Department are releasing the victim’s name. However, Muddy River News has confirmed the victim was Mackenzie Bullard, 16, a student in the Quincy School District. 

Quincy Police Chief Adam Yates was asked if the people were arrested on the robbery charges were also involved in the circumstances surrounding Bullard’s death.

“That’s certainly not anything I’d be able to address right now,” he said. “The investigation is still active, and (detectives are) still collecting evidence and witness statements and looking at different things. Unfortunately, that’s something I won’t be able to address right at this time.

Yates said more arrests are anticipated. 

A press release from the Quincy Police Department said QPD detectives, along with law enforcement partners at the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois State Police, made the arrests related to the investigation of Bullard’s death.

The Quincy/Adams County 911 Center received a call of suspicious circumstances in the 400 block of Gardner Park Drive at 4:15 a.m. Oct. 11. About that same time, another call came in from the 400 block of Scenic Drive reporting someone had been shot. When officers arrived on scene, a female victim was found dead inside a residence.

Detectives sent evidence days later to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab in Springfield along with requests for forensic analysis. Several electronic devices also were collected. Digital data, once extracted from a device, will be analyzed by detectives to identify any evidence possibly related to this case. 

Anyone with information about this crime who has not yet reached out is asked to call the Quincy Police Department at 217-228-4470, visit the Quincy Police Department website at quincypolicedepartment.com/contact, or submit a tip through Quincy Regional Crimestoppers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Johnson’s name was incorrect in a previous version of this story.