Man Charged For First-Degree Murder In Case That Dates Back To 2017
EAST ST. LOUIS – On April 24, 2023, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office approved one count of First-Degree Murder (Class M Felony) and one count of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm (Class X Felony) for 33-year-old James D. O’Neal of Belleville. The charges are stemming from a 2017 shooting that left one individual fatally wounded and one individual severely injured. On August 13, 2017, Illinois State Police (ISP) Zone 6 and East St. Louis Police Department responded to a reported shooting in the former Norman E. Owens housing complex in East St. Louis, IL where 21-year-old Phillip S. Smith of East St. Louis, IL and a 21-year-old male of Belleville, IL had been struck by gunfire during an attempted robbery. Smith succumbed to his injuries and the 21-year-old Belleville man was transported to an area hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and was later released. After a thorough investigation, ISP agents arrested 20-year-old Devonte Lindsey of Centreville