Morris Gunshot Victim, 25, Dies From His Injuries, Arrest Made

MORRIS — Grundy County Coroner John Callahan identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Morris as 25-year-old James D. Arellano. Arellano was pronounced dead at 3:12 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23.

The incident remains under investigation by the Grundy County Coroner’s Office and the Morris Police Department.

According to the Morris Police Department, at 12:01 a.m., officers were called to a house in the 600 block of Armstrong Street. A female 911 caller advised a man had just shot her friend. Officers arrived and located a 25-year-old man with a gunshot wound. The victim, later identified as Arellano, was taken to Morris Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

According to police, a suspect, who had a prior relationship with the woman who called 911, had left the scene before police arrival. The suspect was later identified as 35-year-old Jerrell Blake of the 100 block of East Jefferson Street. Blake was found around 12:30 a.m. in 200 block of West Washington Street. He was detained and transported to the Morris Police Department.

After an investigation by Morris detectives, the Grundy County State's Attorney's Office approved first-degree murder charges against Blake, and he was taken to the Grundy County Jail, authorities announced.

"Be aware, the investigation will continue throughout the day, and you may see Detectives/Officers searching the area between the 600 block of Armstrong and the 200 block of W. Washington in order to be thorough and locate further possible evidence/surveillance video. The suspect's exact direction of travel is not known, but if you have a residence or business in that search area, please check your surveillance video (between 11:50 pm and 12:45 a.m. this morning). If you locate any evidence you believe suspicious, please do not touch it, but immediately call us at 815-942-2131 x 8," Morris Police said.