Springfield, IL – A Springfield man is facing charges after a wild and dangerous outburst Sunday evening that involved gunfire at his home and a chaotic scene at a local Dairy Queen.

Around 6:15 p.m. on June 2, 2025, 37-year-old Matthew S. Leach was caught on home surveillance cameras hallucinating and running through his house with a black semi-automatic pistol. Police say he was highly intoxicated on alcohol and what appeared to be a stimulant, and believed people were chasing him—people who weren’t there.

Footage showed Leach entering a bathroom with the gun at approximately 6:14 p.m. One minute later, he opened the door and fired a single shot into an adjacent bedroom where the camera was located. He then went into his detached garage and fired five rounds from inside, shooting through the south garage door. One of those bullets struck the north side of the house and entered the interior.

Next to where Leach had been shooting inside the garage, officers found three small white rocks that resembled crack cocaine. The substance tested positive for cocaine and weighed 0.2 grams.

Leach then got into his black Dodge Durango and drove it through the garage door, heading east through the alley. He later pulled into the Dairy Queen on East North Grand Avenue and ran inside the store, where he jumped behind the counter and shoved an employee. He then pushed over the large Pepsi fountain drink machine, damaging it. The damage was estimated at $5,000.

Leach was later taken into custody and read his Miranda rights, which he said he understood. He admitted to driving the vehicle. Officers noted his glassy, bloodshot eyes, heavy eyelids, and the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. He admitted to drinking earlier but refused to say how much, stating at one point, “I’m fucked up.”

Leach refused field sobriety tests, a breath test, and all other chemical tests. However, during routine treatment at St. John’s Hospital, his blood alcohol level—measured through hospital testing—came back as 0.130, well over the legal limit.

A records check revealed Leach’s driver’s license is revoked, and this is his second DUI arrest. He does not have a FOID card and has prior convictions for burglary and three separate cases of possessing a stolen vehicle.

Leach is currently being held in the Sangamon County Jail after being denied pre-trial release. He has been charged with possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony; reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony; and criminal damage to property, also a Class 4 felony.