East St. Louis teenager, man shot to death
Two homicide investigations were underway over the weekend in the killing of a 15-year-old boy gunned down at a public housing complex and a 36-year-old man found shot to death inside a home.
Anton Daniels, the East St. Louis teenager who was shot on Thursday night, died on Sunday, Police Chief Michael Floore said.
Daniels and another teenager were shot at the Roosevelt Homes housing complex on North 44th Street.
The name of the other victim has not been released. His condition was not available Sunday night.
Floore said police have not made any arrests and officers are trying to determine why the shooting occurred.
In the wake of the shootings of the two teens, the city has imposed a curfew for juveniles. Effective immediately, juveniles cannot be on the streets after 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends unless they are accompanied by a parent, Floore said.
In the other homicide, the body of Mario Conrad of East St. Louis was found inside the home at 509 N. 84th St. on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday, this home burned down to the ground.
Fire Chief Jason Blackmon said firefighters received a call about the fire at 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Floore said Conrad was found in the living room, and the door to the house was open. At this time, there are no suspects and the motive for the killing is unknown.
“We are interviewing several people and canvassing the neighborhood. East St. Louis Police and Illinois State Police are jointly working the investigation. We need the public’s help,” Floore said.
Police were called to the residence at 3:02 p.m. Saturday. Floore said it was not the victim’s residence. It was being used as a “flophouse” — a place where anyone can come and go.
Police were notified of the homicide after a friend of Conrad’s went to the house when he could not reach him by cellphone after several tries, Floore said.
Floore said the friend, whose identity was not released by police, notified a relative first and then called police.
There was no record on file in St. Clair County listing the homeowner’s name, so, before the police or the deputy St. Clair County coroner could enter the property to remove the body, a search warrant was requested. This process took several hours.
When St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly arrived on scene, he found that the area had already been sealed off and that Illinois State Police agents were executing two search warrants that he had requested from a circuit court judge.
Floore said anyone with any information about these two homicides should contact the East St. Louis Police Department at 618-482-6767, Illinois State Police at 618-346-3990 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS.
Contact reporter Carolyn P. Smith at 618-239-2503.
This story was originally published June 14, 2015 at 11:02 AM with the headline "East St. Louis teenager, man shot to death."