CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — People in St. Joseph were left rattled on the Fourth of July not by fireworks, but by a standoff at a garage that turned deadly.

Randy Jackson, 39, was wanted by authorities for his suspected involvement in a Clinton, Iowa shooting. State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said the Illinois State Police was assisting in the hunt for Jackson and tracked his phone to Danville Monday night. When they tried to pull him over, he sped off.

Rietz said Jackson’s car was found in St. Joseph and officers started knocking on doors in the area. One homeowner told police he noticed something weird in his detached garage, and that’s where police found Jackson. An hours-long standoff ensued, stretching into the early morning hours of the Fourth of July.

Rietz said that Jackson eventually exited the garage, and an officer was in a position to use deadly force, which they did. Jackson was hit by gunfire and died at Carle Hospital in Urbana.

Rietz added that the investigation is still in its early phases and there is still video to comb through.

“I am comfortable saying at this point, preliminarily, I believe this was an appropriate use of force by the officers involved,” Rietz said. “And this was an individual who was very dangerous, who posed a great danger to our community, and was involved in very significant offenses back in Iowa.”

She said that she appreciates the work that State Police and sheriff’s deputies from both Vermilion and Champaign County did to minimize the threat. She also said that she is thankful that nearby homeowners shared what they saw.

Rick Ingram lives next to the house where Jackson was hiding. He and his wife were winding down for the night when they saw dozens of police officers around their home.

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“So I went out, then it just seemed like a parade of police cars kept going by, lights flashing,” Ingram said. “I knew they were on a mission of some sort.”

He said that isn’t a normal scene for St. Joseph and was surprised when officers knocked on his door to see if Jackson was hiding in or around his home.

“I’ve got plenty of police officers out here, you know,” Ingram said. “As long as I don’t get in the middle of everything, I’m going to be ok.”

Sheila Paul said she was coming home when police told her to take a detour to her house.

“People were frustrated because they didn’t know what was going on,” Paul said. “But at the same time, you know, the police officers, they’re doing their job and you need to let them do their job. But it was really, really frightening.”

All she knew was that there was a manhunt, but when she saw all of the resources being used, like a plane, drones and SWAT, she felt the seriousness of the situation.

“You just have to take care of each other and look out for each other and be smart,” Paul said. “But, yeah, never had anything like this happen out here before.”

Paul is an ICU nurse and has seen the impact of gun violence firsthand. But she never thought something like this would come to her small town.