Ni’Kajha A.K. Johnson, 24, was fatally shot on June 3, 2026, while seated in her vehicle at a stop sign at 25th Street and Ridge Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. First responders transported her to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries. Johnson lived in Belleville and was a mother of two; family members remember her for an infectious laugh and a fearless, kind spirit.

The East St. Louis Police Department asked the Illinois State Police to lead the investigation. Two days after the shooting, on June 5, 2026, authorities arrested 23-year-old Brion D. Bess of Swansea, Illinois. The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Bess with first-degree murder; he is being held at the St. Clair County Jail and a pretrial detention hearing was postponed.

No motive has been publicly disclosed and officials have not said whether Johnson and the accused knew each other. If anyone witnessed the shooting or knew Johnson’s movements that afternoon, please share information that could help clarify what happened.