Decatur man accused of attempted murder in drive-by shooting
The shooting happened on April 20 in the area of Church and Division Streets. Five days later, the Decatur Police Department asked for and received an arrest warrant for 21-year-old Caiden Brittain. The warrant charged him with three counts — one of attempted murder, one of aggravated battery with a firearm and one of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Brittain was tracked down in Kankakee and was arrested on May 1. He has since been returned to Macon County and is in custody at the jail.
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In a sworn statement filed in support of the arrest warrant, Detective Clayton Zilz explained that the person Brittain was trying to shoot was a 24-year-old man — they knew each other because the intended target's best friend's ex-girlfriend was now dating Brittain. They had 'a handful of interactions' since the relationship started, including an argument about one year prior to the shooting.
The intended target told investigators that on the day of the shooting, he and another friend were riding around Decatur on their motorcycles when they passed the home of Brittain's girlfriend. Zilz said Brittain was on the front porch.
'[The target] said that he saw Caiden stand up and yell something at him,' Zilz said. '[The target] said he immediately yelled [expletives] back to Caiden.'
The two motorcycle riders then drove to a home on Church Street, parked their motorcycles and stood on the sidewalk near the street. About 10 minutes after the interaction with Brittain, at 3:28 p.m., the 24-year-old said he saw a car driving down Church Street that was 'extremely similar' to the car belonging to Brittain's girlfriend.
'[The target] said he observed a white male with his arm out of the driver's window armed with a handgun,' Zilz said. 'This white male then fired three shots at him and [his friend].'
The intended target of the shooting was not hit, but his friend was shot in the left leg. Zilz said the friend suffered a fractured femur and needed surgery to put a steel rod into his leg.
The 24-year-old would not say if it was Brittain who shot at him, Zilz said. He feared retaliation for 'snitching,' but police were able to identify Brittain as the shooter through other evidence.
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The shooting was recorded on a nearby doorbell camera and another home camera recorded the car as it left the area. The license plate reader system also recorded the car, and it was identified as belonging to Brittain's girlfriend. A prior traffic stop in Mt. Zion proved Brittain also uses the car.
Zilz said investigators later went to the girlfriend's home but did not find her. They did make contact with her stepfather; Zilz said he told investigators he was aware of the shooting on Church and who was responsible.
When he arrived at his home after the shooting, he found Brittain and his stepdaughter there and described them as 'freaking out.'
'[The stepfather] stated that [she] and Caiden advised he had shot who he thought was [the 24-year-old],' Zilz said. 'Caiden claimed to have shot out of fear as he advised [the 24-year-old] had 'clutched' for something.'
The stepfather told investigators that it had been his stepdaughter's gun used in the shooting. Zilz said she had a FOID card.
The stepfather also told investigators his stepdaughter's car was at his garage and that he had assisted in concealing it.
'[She] and Caiden stated they wanted to hide it to avoid potential retaliation from the shooting,' Zilz said. '[The stepfather] advised [she] was staying at another address in town to avoid being targeted in retaliation and stated he believed Caiden was in Kankakee.'
With consent from both the stepfather and his wife, investigators entered the garage and found the Altima buried under miscellaneous items, 'as if someone was attempting to conceal it.'
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Zilz added that a check of Brittain's past revealed he had two prior convictions in Kankakee County — a 2022 case of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and a 2023 case of possessing a controlled substance.
Since his arrest and extradition to Macon County, Brittain appeared in court for arraignment and a detention hearing. He was denied pretrial release and will remain in the Macon County Jail as his court case progresses.
He is due back in court on May 21.
Decatur Police told WCIA that the investigation into the shooting is still open and investigators are still looking for information. Tipsters can call either the Decatur Police Department or Macon County Crime Stoppers.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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