Arrest made in MetroBus driver shooting as his East St. Louis family pleads for justice
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis announced late Monday that it had made an arrest in connection with the shooting of a St. Louis MetroBus driver.
Jonathan Cobb, 33, of East St Louis, crashed his bus into a tree in the 3400 block of Lucas and Hunt Road around 7 p.m. Friday after he was struck by gunfire.
The Major Case Squad assembled 20 investigators to hunt for the shooter.
Capt. Jon Romas of the Major Case Squad said a “person of interest” was taken into custody. No charges have been filed.
On Monday, investigators released a security camera photo of a car they believe may have been connected to the shooting. Romas said a detective working with the Major Case Squad stopped the vehicle a short time later.
“The vehicle was stopped on Greyling Drive,” he said. “A male person of interest was taken into custody.”
Hours earlier, Cobb’s family and friends gathered to plead for justice, asking the public to come forward with information.
Cobb’s sister, Charna Wooten, said her brother remains in critical condition at a St. Louis hospital, but has made some improvement. She said she does not know why Cobb was targeted by the shooter, but word of the arrest brought some “peace of mind,” she said.
“We would like the community to pray for our family and our brother. It is very hard for our family right now,” Wooten said.
“I am overjoyed that someone is in custody,” she said.
Cobb was born and raised in East St.Louis and is the father to twin daughters, who are about a year-and-a-half old. He’s been a MetroBus driver for about nine years, his sister said.
Wooten described her brother as a very loving father, a jokester, very intelligent, bubbly, and happy go lucky.
“He loves his twin daughters … and they love him,” she said. “When he walks into a room where they are, they brighten up.”
Wooten said the girls’ mother “is struggling,” as is the entire family.
“He is a great person. He is business-minded and very intelligent. He loves to have good times. He is a music producer and manager for several local artists. He is a DJ and is well-known as D.J. Traxx,” Wooten said.
None of the passengers on Cobb’s bus were injured, police said.
“We demand justice. This makes no sense,” Wooten said.
Like family members of many other East St. Louis crime victims, Wooten says she is tired of the gun violence. She wants the illegal guns off the streets and is devastated for the families that have been destroyed.
“Gun violence is gun violence and it needs to stop,” she said.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 11:17 AM.
