JEFFERSON COUNTY — More information has been discovered surrounding the man who was killed early Tuesday morning in a shootout with Illinois State Police Troopers on Interstate 64 near Mt. Vernon.

The deceased motorist has been identified as 23-year-old Brandon Griffin of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was killed when exchanging fire with two ISP Troopers who were attempting to provide motorist assistance to Griffin and his passenger. One of the two Troopers was also struck in the exchange and was taken to a regional hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

According to New Mexico court records, Griffin was wanted on an arrest warrant out of Lincoln County on felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting a gun from a motor vehicle.

He was arrested in that case with 31-year-old Christine Santos who is currently being held in the Jefferson County, Illinois Jail, on an out-of-state warrant. Santos was also wanted in New Mexico on the same fourth-degree felonies as Griffin.

KOAT-TV in Albuquerque report the couple was arrested in April 2022, after driving onto a man’s property in Lincoln County, New Mexico. When the property owner asked why they were there, things got heated and Griffin reportedly fired two shots from their vehicle and the couple took off.

Authorities eventually found and arrested Griffin and Santos who was the driver, near the Capitan Family Dollar. Capitan schools briefly went on lockdown as a precaution.