(The Center Square) – Independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett and former state Rep. John Cabello criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker after the governor said he was unaware of the details surrounding the Jan. 4 fatal Illinois State Police shooting of Rachel Tarrence.
The case drew renewed attention after body-camera footage was released earlier this month.
Tarrence, a 40-year-old mother of three from Maryville, was fatally shot by an Illinois State Police trooper after authorities found a vehicle reported stolen in East St. Louis. Investigators said Tarrence reversed into a squad car before accelerating forward, prompting one trooper to fire through the windshield.
She was unarmed, and her 4-year-old son was in the back seat during the encounter.
The St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office later declined to file criminal charges against the trooper, and Illinois State Police announced it would implement policy reforms following an internal review.
When asked about the shooting this week, Pritzker said he was not familiar with the details of the case.
Corbett said the governor's response raises concerns about leadership.
"This shooting happened on January 4th, over six months ago. The body cam footage has been public for two weeks. News outlets have been reporting on the case extensively, and yet we've got the governor of Illinois acting as if he doesn't know," Corbett told The Center Square. "Either it's being kept from him by his staff, or he's just being willfully ignorant. But either way, it's not okay that he's not aware of a fatal shooting by his state police that happened six months ago."
Corbett said that while prosecutors declined to bring charges, the incident warrants a review of Illinois State Police procedures.
“It's so easy to Monday morning quarterback," Corbett said. "But certainly when you review that body cam footage, it's hard to see that deadly force was justified in that instance."
Corbett said Tarrence should have been arrested and prosecuted rather than killed.
"She should have been arrested. She should have been put through the justice system. She should have been held accountable for her crimes. But she should be alive," Corbett said. "The governor needs to lead. One way or another, we need to make adjustments so that this doesn't happen again in the future."
Corbett also questioned why Pritzker publicly commented on the fatal shooting of Renee Goode by a federal immigration agent but has remained largely silent on Tarrence's death.
"An Illinois resident's life should not mean less than a Minneapolis resident's life simply because one fits your political agenda and the other does not," Corbett said.
Despite his criticism, Corbett said he was not attempting to vilify law enforcement.
"I strongly support our law enforcement," Corbett said. "My goal here is not to attack our police. It's not to even attack this officer. I simply want to make sure we're being objective about the situation and doing our best to avoid similar situations in the future."
Corbett also suggested reviewing police tactics after observing officers issuing different commands during the confrontation.
"Half of the officers were yelling, 'Show your hands,' and half were yelling, 'Put it in park,'" Corbett said. "If you watch the body cam footage, you can see she didn't know what to do."
Cabello also questioned Pritzker's explanation for not commenting on the case.
"I think he's lying," Cabello said. "And if he does not know about that case, then there is a significant failure with his administration."
Unlike Corbett, Cabello said he believes the body-camera footage supports the trooper's use of force.
"If you ram your vehicle into squad cars, the outcome is not going to be usually good for you," Cabello said.
Cabello said he does not believe Illinois needs additional use-of-force policy changes.
"The process works. The body camera shows exactly what happened," Cabello said.
Cabello also accused Pritzker of focusing on national political ambitions rather than governing Illinois.
"Either be the governor of the state of Illinois, because that's his job, or leave. Do your job or step aside and let somebody else do it," Cabello said.
Illinois State Police have said the agency is implementing policy changes following its internal review of the shooting, though prosecutors concluded the evidence did not support criminal charges against the trooper.
