By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – The mother of a man shot to death almost eight months ago in Bloomington said she felt a wide range of emotions when police detectives told her they made two arrests in the case.

Trevonte Kirkwood, 27, was murdered October 30 in the 1300 of North Oak Street.

Dameca Kirkwood said Detectives Jeff Engle and Paul Jones showed up at her job Thursday to deliver the news.

“They showed me the warrants, and I glazed over it, and it really didn’t hit me, and then I read it again,” she said.

“It was like, ‘Oh my God, are you serious?’ and they said, ‘Yes, we’re very serious.’ At that point, I broke into tears and I thanked them.”

Ms. Kirkwood said she was confident the “Boys and Girls in Blue” would eventually solve the crime.

“The conviction, the drive, and the determination that each and every one of them showed to me and my family, I wasn’t worried. Impatient, but not worried,” Ms. Kirkwood said.

She said she’s ready for whatever comes during court proceedings for her son’s accused killers, Jordyn Thornton, 19, of Bloomington and Quentin Jackson, 21, of Peoria.

“As a parent with one child that was taken without just, these individuals have families and parents, and guess what? One way or the other, whether they’re behind bars or whether they’re walking in their own misery, they’re going to be taken too.”

Ms. Kirkwood said her family is familiar with one of the suspects.

“The family has interacted with one of the individuals very closely, my son did too,” she said.

“Trevonte passed away at 27. (They) met when he was 10, 11.”

Police and prosecutors are not commenting on a possible motive for the killing.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]