A Springfield man will spend the next 55 years of his life in a federal prison for the 2019 shooting death of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America hotel in Rockford.
U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly issued the sentence Monday to Floyd E. Brown, 43. A jury found Brown guilty of second-degree murder of a federal officer, attempting to kill additional federal officers, assault of federal officers and multiple firearm offenses in April.
“Through the violent actions of Floyd Brown, the Keltner family lost a devoted son, husband and father, and the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois lost a dedicated public servant,” U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. said in a news release. “Special Deputy Keltner made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation. His bravery and dedication will not be forgotten. We remain committed to prosecuting violence against federal law enforcement officers to the fullest extent of the law.”
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Keltner, a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy, was fatally shot on March 7, 2019, when members of the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and other law enforcement officers attempted to execute a warrant for Brown’s arrest at the Rockford hotel where he was staying.
Brown was wanted on a residential burglary charge.
According to police, Brown fired at other U.S. Marshals when they attempted to enter Brown’s hotel room that day in Rockford. Brown jumped out of a third-floor window and fatally shot Keltner before taking police on a high-speed chase through central Illinois.
Brown was arrested several hours later near Lincoln, Illinois.