Man killed in Alton shooting identified

ALTON – The man fatally shot Thursday morning during an altercation in which an Alton police officer was shot and a police dog was killed has been identified by Illinois State Police.

Vernon Randle Jr., 27, of Alton, was killed in a shootout with Alton police at the corner of East Sixth and Liberty streets around 5:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police officer Allen Averbeck was shot, but his protective vest saved him from serious injuries and allowed him to be released from the hospital on Thursday.

Averbeck’s four-legged partner Odin was also shot while on duty.

Randle was also shot and taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Randle, a suspect in a Wednesday night shooting that left a woman injured, was spotted by police near Ninth and Henry streets around 5 a.m. Thursday. A foot chase ensued and police exchanged several shots at Randle.

In 2023, Randle was the subject of a missing person search by the Alton Police Department.

According to the Madison County District Attorney's Office, Randle had no prior convictions in Madison County, but was on probation for assault in Champaign County, Illinois, when he moved to East Alton in 2022, according to court records.

He was sentenced to 18 months probation and in March 2022 his probation was transferred to Madison County, where he began serving his sentence.