Man Charged With Murder In Fatal Naperville Shooting

NAPERVILLE, IL — A Naperville man has been charged with first degree murder in the death of Jeffery Churchill, 41, who was fatally shot in the 900 block of Fairway Drive Friday morning. Xavier Caffey, 30, was charged with two counts of first degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting.

Police were called to an apartment complex in the 900 block of Fairway Drive around 8:30 a.m. for a report of shots fired. Responding officers located Churchill lying on the ground and took him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors say a 9mm shell casing and an unspent round of 9mm ammunition were found at the scene.

According to prosecutors, Churchill, a maintenance worker for the apartment complex, was in a garage with another person when Caffey came in and first pointed a handgun at the other person before pointing the handgun at Churchill and shooting him in the head twice.

Caffey then fled to his apartment and was later taken into custody after an "hours-long standoff" with the Naperville Police Department's crisis negotiation team, prosecutors say.

“The allegations that Mr. Caffey, who was completely unprovoked, approached an innocent, unsuspecting man, put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger twice, killing him execution style, are very disturbing,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

Berlin added, “I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Churchill as they attempt to come to terms with this senseless tragedy."

Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said, "Naperville has a strong foundation as a safe community, and this type of crime can be extremely jarring to that sense of safety. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated by this department, and we will continue our efforts to combat gun violence at every turn."

Caffey is currently being held in DuPage County Jail on $1 million bond. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison. Caffey is set to appear in court again Feb. 28.