What should have been a day of celebration turned into the worst moment of one Illinois family’s life.
On the morning of May 10, 2026, Mother’s Day, a 3-year-old boy named Damian Camacho was shot and killed during a police response to a hostage situation at a mobile home in rural Bureau County, Illinois.
He was from DePue, a small town not far from Princeton, and by all accounts, he was a child full of light.
The call came in at 2:42 a.m. The Bureau County Sheriff’s Office and Princeton Police Department were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at a trailer park in the 2700 block of East Street.
Illinois State Police assisted with perimeter security when the situation quickly escalated beyond a simple disturbance.
Inside the home was Anthony D. Rodriguez, 42, who had armed himself with a knife and barricaded himself in a bedroom with several people, including children.
According to charging documents from the Bureau County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Rodriguez held three people at knifepoint, refused to allow them to leave, threatened to kill one of them, sprayed one person with bleach, and shoved a door against another individual inside the home.
Officers Made the Call to Enter
Multiple attempts were made to negotiate with Rodriguez and convince him to release the people inside the room. None of them worked.
At some point, officers on the scene heard screaming and determined that those being held were in immediate danger. They made the decision to force entry into the bedroom.
When officers kicked the door down, shots were fired. Both Rodriguez and Damian were struck by gunfire.
The child was rushed to OSF HealthCare St. Clare Medical Center in Princeton, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy conducted by the Bureau County Coroner confirmed that Damian suffered a gunshot wound inconsistent with survival. Rodriguez was also hospitalized with gunshot wounds and later booked into the Bureau County Jail.
Damian’s mother, who is also Rodriguez’s girlfriend, spoke with reporters off camera.
She said Rodriguez had been threatening to hurt her children before police arrived, and that once officers showed up, he locked himself in the bedroom with three of the children and threatened to kill them if police came in.
She said she witnessed her son being shot in the chaos that followed and has been left with images she cannot shake.
Rodriguez now faces three counts of aggravated unlawful restraint, two counts of domestic battery, and three counts of aggravated assault.
Authorities have indicated that additional charges may follow as the investigation continues. Illinois State Police are leading the investigation into the shooting, with findings to be handed over to the Bureau County State’s Attorney’s Office.
A Community Left Grieving
Damian’s aunt, Cindy Almanza, set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses for the family.
In her description, she wrote that Damian was the sweetest and happiest child, one whose smile could light up any room.
Within days, the page raised more than $8,000 toward a $10,000 goal, a reflection of how many people were moved by the loss of a toddler who had barely begun his life.
News 8, which covered the story closely, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for body camera footage from the officers involved. That request was denied due to the ongoing investigation.
