Metro-east man heading to prison for having gun linked to three shootings, homicide 

An East St. Louis man on Tuesday received a federal prison sentence of more than eight years after admitting to possession of a firearm with a high-capacity magazine that operated as a machine gun. He admitted to having had a 50-round drum magazine.

Derron Smith-Johnson, 28, had pleaded guilty in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a machine gun due to the firearm having an automatic switch.

In addition to the 104-month prison sentence, Smith-Johnson also received three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $200 fine and $200 in special assessments.

According to court documents, the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group in East St. Louis was investigating three shootings and a homicide used with the same gun based on lab analysis in February 2022. The crimes happened within a one-week time frame and involved a silver GMC Acadia.

Video footage led investigators to identify Smith-Johnson, and agents visited an apartment in Belleville at which he was known to occasionally stay. He was arrested there and the homeowner consented to a search of the premises, documents state.

Stowed away in an air return vent was a Glock 23 40 caliber pistol with an automatic rifle switch loaded with an extended magazine containing 23 live rounds, court records state. Agents also recovered a 50-round drum magazine loaded with 50 live rounds of 40 caliber ammunition, as well as 43 rounds of 357 SIG ammunition in a bedroom dresser, the court documents say.

According to charges, the state police lab determined Smith-Johnson’s fingerprints to be on the Glock 23 pistol, which was later confirmed to be linked through ballistics comparisons to the three shootings and homicide under investigation.

“Ballistic evidence can confirm if the same gun is used in multiple instances, and the recovered firearm was used in a week-long, violent crime spree,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “The Public Safety Enforcement Group is working day in and day out to improve protections for the East St. Louis community, and I applaud their efforts.”

The ATF led the investigation with assistance from PSEG and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.

This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 12:29 PM.