Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for August 1, 2007 UPDATE ON FATAL SHOOTING

From the Southeast Missourian...

Suspect arrested in Brown Bag robbery

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

Police arrested a suspect in the deadly armed robbery that took place early Tuesday morning at the Brown Bag Video II Store in McClure, Ill. Michael Fencil, 25, of Mounds, Ill., was arrested Tuesday night in Ottawa, Ill.

According to Mike Kessinger with the Ottawa Police Department, a witness who works at a Brown Bag Video in Ottawa recognized Fencil driving in his car. Police then initiated a traffic stop and took Fencil into custody, said Kessinger. Kessinger indicated that Fencil was known to the owners of the video store.

Alexander County State District Attorney Jeff Ferris charged Fencil with aggravated assault with a firearm, armed robbery, and first-degree murder for the shooting of Charles A. Caldwell, a Brown Bag Video Store customer who was killed in the robbery.

Fencil allegedly shot Caldwell twice, and also shot a store clerk in the arm.

By the time Illinois State Police responded to the 911 call around 1:30 a.m., the suspect had fled the scene.

Caldwell and the clerk were both transported to Saint Francis Medical Center for treatment, where Caldwell was pronounced dead on arrival in the emergency room.

Cape Girardeau Police Department, Alexander County Sheriff's Department, Illinois State Police, and Ottawa police department continue to investigate the case.

The bond for Fencil is set at $1 million dollars.

From the KFVS TV Channel 12 website...

Arrest Made in Brown Bag Robbery

By: Heartland News

Overnight Michael Fencel, 25, of Mounds, Illinois was arrested in connection with Tuesday morning's Brown Bag shooting and robbery.

Fencel was arrested in the northern Illinois town of Ottawa (southwest of Chicago).

Illinois State Police informed the Ottawa Police Department to be on the alert for Fencel because he has family living in the area.

Fencel is charged with:

1st degree murder
Aggravated battery with a firearm
Armed robbery

According to the Ottawa Police Department, he is being held in the La Salle County Jail on $1,000,000 bond.

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Heartland News aired a story with Michael Fencel September 12, 2005. Fencel claimed that his father (who lived in Gulfport, Mississippi) was missing after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

From the WSIL TV Channel 3 website...

NEW DEVELOPMENTS Man Arrested For Fatal Robbery In Alexander County

By: Jackie McPherson

ALEXANDER CO -- A man wanted in connection for a shooting death and robbery at the Brown Bag Video Store in Alexander county has been arrested in upstate Illinois.

Michael F. Fencel, 25, of Mounds was taken into custody early Wednesday morning in Ottawa, Illinois in La Salle County, according to Illinois State Trooper Bridge Rice.

Fencel is charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery with a firearm and first degree murder. Fencel is being held on $1-million bond.

The robbery occured early Tuesday morning at the Brown Bag Video Store in East Cape Girardeau. Police say a customer was shot and killed and a clerk was wounded.

The customer killed in the deadly shooting is Charles Caldwell, a 30 year-old from Cairo. His family describes him as an outgoing man who was involved in the community.

"It makes me angry, but it hurts me more than anything" says Caldwell's sister, Cindy Johnson.

Officials say Charles Caldwell was shot twice during an armed robbery at the Brown Bag Video Store around 1:30 Tuesday morning. He later died at the St. Francis hospital in Cape Girardeau.

Caldwell was visiting friends who worked at the store when police say the shooter entered the business.

"The weapon was a large, long-barreled hand-gun" says Trooper Bridget Rice with the Illinois State Police, District 22. Charles Caldwell's family is mourning their loss. Johnson says Caldwell loved his job as a Cairo florist, and recently tried his hand in local politics-- running for city council.

"He was a likeable person and an outgoing person. I lost it. I mean, he's my only sibling."

Visitation for Charles Caldwell is scheduled for Thursday from 5 PM to 9 PM at the Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo. Funeral service is set for Friday at 1 PM at the Mighty Rivers Regional Worship Center-- also in Cairo.

Update from the Southeast Missourian...

Illinois shooting suspect taken in

Thursday, August 2, 2007

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

It turns out police were looking for more than just some guy with a dark complexion and a gray baseball cap. They were looking for a man with a name. And they found him Tuesday night.

Michael Fencil, 25, of Mounds, Ill. -- the man police allege robbed Brown Bag Video II, shot and killed a customer while also wounding a clerk early Tuesday morning -- was arrested by Ottawa, Ill., police in north-central Illinois.

State police aren't saying much about the events that led to his arrest.

According to Diane Weber, the store owner, the business phone lines were cut during the robbery, which may have tipped police to look for someone familiar with the premises.

Ottawa police Capt. Mike Kessinger said Ottawa police had been on the lookout for Fencil because a warrant had been issued for his arrest. There is another Brown Bag Video store in Ottawa. Kessinger said a resident spotted Fencil and notified police. Fencil was apprehended during a traffic stop, he said.

In the hours following the crime, police announced they were looking for a suspect that fit the following description: a white male with a darker complexion, around 6 feet tall, thin, wearing a gray baseball cap and dark blue jeans.

They had secured a warrant for Fencil's arrest by Tuesday evening, but they did not release any information about the warrant to the public until the arrest was made.

Alexander County State's Attorney Jeffrey Ferris charged Fencil with aggravated assault with a firearm, armed robbery and first-degree murder for the shooting of Charles A. Caldwell, the Brown Bag Video Store customer who was killed in the robbery, according to Illinois State Police trooper Bridget Rice.

Police allege that Fencil shot Caldwell twice and a store clerk once in the arm, using a long-barreled handgun. By the time Illinois State Police responded to the 911 call around 1:30 a.m., the suspect had fled the scene.

Caldwell and the store clerk were both transported to Saint Francis Medical Center for treatment, where Caldwell was pronounced dead on arrival in the emergency room.

Weber said the employee wounded during the robbery was released from the hospital after being treated. The shot passed through his left arm cleanly.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department, Alexander County Sheriff's Department, Illinois State Police and Ottawa police continue to investigate the case.

The bond for Fencil is set at $1 million.