Keon Dotts

Keon Dotts was a 21-year-old Black man whose life was cut short on May 14, 2021. The incident that led to his death took place in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, following a violent altercation involving several people.

On that Friday afternoon around 3 p.m., police responded to reports of gunshots. A Cahokia Heights police sergeant acted quickly, requesting assistance from surrounding stations to help set up a perimeter and contain the scene. When officers arrived, they found Keon lying injured in a yard. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died. A 17-year-old boy, whose name was not released, was also injured during the conflict and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The investigation began immediately. Authorities said that a suspect, 20-year-old Deandre Reed, fled the scene after the shooting. He reportedly ran to a nearby assisted living facility but was unable to gain entry. Reed was arrested a short time later by one of the assisting police agencies that had responded to the initial call.

On May 16, 2021, Deandre Reed was charged with two counts of murder in connection with Keon's death: one count of murder with intent to kill or injure and a second count of murder with a strong probability to kill or injure. He was held in the St. Clair County Jail with bail set at $1 million. As of May 2021, police were still investigating what led to the conflict, and no one had been charged for the shooting of the 17-year-old.