On the night of June 24, 2023, gunfire on the 900 block of South Sixth Street in Belleville wounded 22-year-old DeMarco A. Davis Jr. He was taken to Memorial Hospital in Belleville and pronounced dead at 10:53 p.m.; authorities confirmed his identity and that his last known address was in East St. Louis. Detectives sealed off the scene and began reconstructing the final minutes leading to the shooting.

Within a week a 16-year-old male was taken into custody in connection with the killing. Because the arrestee is a juvenile, officials withheld identifying details and referred the case to juvenile court; police said no further information could be released. The investigation remained active while the young suspect stayed in juvenile custody.

The basic facts are clear, but many details about motive, the sequence of events, and what preceded the shooting have not been released. If anyone knew DeMarco, witnessed the June 24 incident, or has information that could help investigators, please come forward.