Danielle R. Williams, 39, was fatally shot outside Another Level Nightclub on Martin Luther King Drive in East St. Louis on May 13, 2024. Illinois State Police and the East St. Louis Police Department opened a homicide investigation; authorities later arrested 45-year-old Lakecia S. Cole of Cahokia Heights and charged her with first-degree murder in connection with Williams’s death.

Williams was a single mother of six children — Diamond, Destiny, Daja, Damarias, Toni, and De’Monja. Her death on Mother’s Day left the children without their primary caregiver. A GoFundMe was organized to help with living and educational expenses, noting that Daja had recently made the Dean’s List and Damarias was preparing to graduate high school and pursue further education.

The case has drawn attention to gun violence and community support efforts in East St. Louis. If anyone knew Danielle or has information about the shooting, contact the East St. Louis Police Department.