Man charged in fatal East St. Louis shooting
A 44-year-old man fatally shot Edwin Cook Sr. in East St. Louis on Sept. 19, according to charges filed by prosecutors Friday.
John D. Davis is facing a charge of first-degree murder and is being held in the St. Clair County jail on a $500,000 bail. He also faces a charge of possessing a weapon as a felon.
Witnesses told police the gunman approached Cook from across the front lawn of the Mary E. Brown Center just before 10 p.m. He yelled “What’s up now, (racial slur)” and fired several rounds into Cook at close range, according to a police report.
Cook, 49, moved from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to East St. Louis in October 2016, his sister Shuronde Jones told the News-Democrat.
Cook leaves behind Jones; brother Brian Jones, father Jesse Muldrow and his four adult children.
As of Friday night, Davis was still in police custody.
Dana Rieck: 618-239-2642, @ByDanaRieck
This story was originally published September 29, 2017 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Man charged in fatal East St. Louis shooting."