St. Clair County declines to charge Belleville woman who fatally shot nephew
A Belleville woman who fatally shot her nephew during a fight with her 17-year-old niece will not face charges, the Belleville Police Department announced Wednesday.
Tayden Dixon, 18, of Washington Park, was identified as the homicide victim. Police said Dixon was the brother of the 17-year-old girl involved in the altercation.
Dixon was the second 18-year-old killed in Belleville over the holiday weekend. In the earlier case, a Swansea teen was fatally shot Saturday.
According to a news release from the police department, the woman who fired the fatal shot did not know the victim was her nephew at the time.
The shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Monday on the front porch of a home in the 600 block of State Street.
“It was determined that the niece and nephew arrived at the residence unannounced and got into a verbal argument which escalated to a physical fight,” according to the news release.
People inside the house heard “loud banging and screaming coming from outside the home.”
“Concerned for their safety, a 38-year-old female resident went downstairs to investigate,” the news release states. “Upon looking outside, she observed her 17-year-old niece involved in a physical altercation with an unknown larger individual on the front porch. The individual was wearing a hood over their head and their face was obscured. The female believed her niece was in immediate danger due to her multiple screams for help.
“Fearing for her niece’s safety and believing a serious violent crime was occurring, the female opened the front door and discharged a single round from a firearm.”
Police and emergency medical services personnel rendered aid to Dixon before he was pronounced dead. Authorities have not released the name of the 38-year-old woman, but said she has a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card and a concealed carry permit.
The case was presented to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office on Tuesday. On Wednesday, police said the state’s attorney “declined to issue charges in this case.”
A spokesman for State’s Attorney James Gomric declined to comment and referred the Belleville News-Democrat to the police department’s news release.
Anyone with information about the State Street shooting is asked to call Belleville police at 618-234-1212.
Dixon was the second 18-year-old shot dead in Belleville over the weekend.
On Saturday, Belleville and Swansea officers responded to the 1700 block of Jamestown Road, where Shenandoah Burton, 18, of Swansea, was found in the roadway with fatal gunshot wounds.
A male suspect was spotted by police in Perry County, Missouri, and later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.