A 30-year-old suspect in a Rock Island workplace shooting appeared in court Tuesday, when he requested a trial by jury.
Dante Beard waived a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with a shooting Dec. 28, according to Rock Island County Court records.
The shooting incident
About 1:42 p.m. Dec. 28, the Rock Island Police Department’s Emergency Response Team, with the assistance of the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team, apprehended Beard after a shooting shortly after 8 a.m. that day at Pak Source, 690 Mill St., according to police and court records.
When officers arrived, they found 34-year-old Colton Garvin, who is production manager at the facility, with gunshot wounds to his torso.
Garvin, in an exclusive interview with Our Quad Cities News, said he was Beard’s supervisor. That morning, Garvin said, he asked Beard to fix a quality issue on a pallet (Pak Source makes crates and pallets for international and domestic shipping.)
To read Garvin’s account of the shooting, click here.
According to court records, Beard faces felony charges of:
- Aggravated battery – discharge firearm (three counts)
- Felon in possession of a firearm
- Aggravated unlawful restraint
Beard, who is being held without bond, remains in custody in Rock Island County Jail. Pretrial conferences in the case are set for Feb. 9.
A GoFundMe online fundraising campaign for Garvin has been established. To donate, click HERE.
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