Man sentenced for shooting at Illinois State Police trooper in East St. Louis

An 41-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday morning for shooting at an Illinois State Police trooper in East St. Louis in 2017.

The St. Clair County Circuit Court sentenced Demon Knight to 40 years in state prison for firing a .32-caliber revolver at Trooper Matt Bradford after a traffic stop. Bradford escaped uninjured.

In February of 2020, Knight pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm, knowing he faced jail time of between 20 and 40 years in the Department of Corrections.

The court handed down the 40-year sentence after hearing evidence and arguments from county prosecutors. By statute, Knight will be required to serve 85% of that sentence before he’s eligible for supervised release.

“We take seriously our obligation to seek justice for those men and women of law enforcement who put their lives on the line every day in service of their communities,” St. Clair County State’s Attorney Jim Gomric said.

“This sentence illustrates our commitment to that cause. I thank the court for handing down this strong sentence and I thank Trooper Bradford and his fellow law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifice today and every day.”

The shooting took place on Oct. 1, 2017 in East St. Louis. Knight, who was a passenger in the car Bradford had stopped, exited the vehicle and tried to run away, according to a release from Gomric’s office.

Bradford attempted to end the chase with a taser, but Knight drew the revolver from his waistband and fired three times towards Bradford, who was not hit by the gunfire.

Additional law enforcement officers from East St. Louis and Washington Park arrived on the scene and Knight was taken into custody, Gomric said.

This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 4:28 PM.