LOCAL

Suspect in Thompson Hall shooting at WIU pleads not guilty

Devon Greene
Voice Correspondent
The McDonough County Courthouse was the site of Kavion Poplous's preliminary hearing Tuesday, Oct. 8. Poplous' next court appearance will be on Jan. 5, 2021 at the request of his lawyer, Venus Brown.

MACOMB — Kavion Poplous, the suspect in the shooting that took place on Sept. 15 in Thompson Hall at Western Illinois University pleaded not guilty and opted for a trial by jury at a preliminary hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

During the hearing, more details were released on the events that lead up to the shooting at Thompson Hall that night.

The prosecution brought up Matthew Haslam, an officer from Western Illinois University’s Office of Public Safety, as a witness to relay the information from police reports and his own experience of the events prior to the shooting and the events that unfolded during and after the shooting.

Prior to the shooting, Poplous and his roommate, identified as Amarion Hargrove, had gotten into an altercation earlier in the evening in the Thompson Hall laundry room. According to witness statements, Poplous and Hargrove were arguing over women.

Haslam said that following the argument in Thompson Hall, Hargrove and two other women, including one that Poplous was in a week-long relationship with, got on a GoWest bus and were heading to Walmart. Haslam then said that one of the women said they heard Poplous on the bus and that she feared that he was calling others to meet them at Walmart so they got off the bus at Browne Hall. Poplous followed the three off the bus when they exited at Browne Hall and according to Halam “abused” one of the women by pushing his finger on her forehead and said “Y’all have fallen into my trap.” Those events then led to one of the women pushing one of the panic buttons that are strewn across the Western Illinois campus. Police were then dispatched to the location at 8:02 p.m. and took statements from everyone involved with no further action taken at the time.

According to Haslam, following the initial confrontation Joshua Smith, one of the resident assistants at Thompson Hall, was contacted and notified of the situation between the roommates. At around 10 p.m., Smith spoke to Poplous and Hargrove and asked if either one wanted to move to separate rooms for the night and both refused.

Haslam then said that Hargrove and Poplous headed back to their room for the night and as Hargrove began to get ready for bed, Poplous continued to make threats toward him, which led to Hargrove going back to Smith’s room and attempting to move to a different room for the night. Haslam then said that Smith told him that an “aggravated” and “shouting” Poplous arrived near the end of the conversation and asked Hargrove why he wanted to go to a separate room which led to Hargrove pushing Poplous and throwing his keys.

Haslem said that almost immediately after being pushed, Poplous reached in his backpack and pulled out a 9 millimeter handgun and attempted to shoot Hargrove. According to witness statements, the gun did not shoot at first, so Poplous then cocked the gun and shot Hargrove in the leg once, which sent him to the ground and then shot him four more times in the abdomen while he was laying on the ground. After shooting Hargrove, witnesses said they heard Poplous say “What are you going to do?” to Hargrove while he was on the ground and then smacked him on the side of the head with the pistol.

In the moments following the shooting, Haslam said that Poplous was seen waiting outside for the women that were involved in the confrontation earlier in the day and he “ordered” one of the women to hug him and told her that he was “going away for a long time.”

Poplous then fled the scene and turned himself in approximately 16 hours later in Chicago.

As the police arrived, Haslam and other officers moved up to the 12th floor where the shooting took place and found Smith tending to Hargrove in his room and found seven shell casings on the ground as well as damages to the floor consistent with bullet holes. Police also found a discarded pistol about 100 feet away in a wooded area outside Thompson Hall but DNA tests have not come back yet linking the gun to Poplous.

Hargrove was escorted downstairs by officers and EMT’s and was then taken by ambulance to MDH and was subsequently life-flighted to Peoria. According to Terry, as of Oct. 5, Hargrove has undergone two surgeries that left him with a metal plate in his leg after shattering his femur and 12 inches of his small intestine removed. Hargrove is currently unable to walk without a cane or walker.

Poplous is facing four felony charges including two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder which carries up to 30 years in prison. He is also facing one count of Aggravated Battery and one count of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm.

Poplous’ next court appearance will be on Jan. 5, 2021 at the request of his lawyer, Venus Brown.

Email editor@mcdonoughvoice.com with comments or questions on this story.

Kavion Poplous