PEORIA, Illinois — Peoria Police Department arrested 38-year-old Amber D. Phelps on March 26, 2025, after a Shot Spotter alert reported a single round fired in the 2000 block of W. Garden Street at around 6:51 p.m. Officers arrived and saw Phelps fleeing the scene—no one was hurt, but they caught up with her shortly after and detained her without a struggle.
A search turned up a loaded firearm on her, leading to charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, no FOID card, and resisting police. She’s now at Peoria County Jail. The 2000 block of W. Garden is a residential area on the city’s south side, not far from where other gun-related incidents have popped up lately—like a 16-year-old arrested on March 12 in the 2300 block of W. Malone for similar charges after a foot chase, also involving a loaded handgun.
This arrest adds to a string of firearm cases in Peoria. Just a couple weeks ago, on March 14, a 15-year-old was nabbed at Manual High School with a loaded gun in his backpack, charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon among other counts. The city’s been grappling with gun issues for a while—back in 2022, directed patrols netted multiple arrests and illegal firearms, showing this isn’t a new problem. Police are asking for tips on this case, incident #25-5392, or any violent crimes at 309-673-4521, tip411 anonymously, or Crime Stoppers at 309-673-9000.
