Alton girl, 13, dies after being shot while standing on a front porch
A 13-year-old Alton girl who suffered a gunshot wound to her head while standing on a front porch has died more than a week after the shooting.
Charges have been upgraded on the three men already arrested in connection with the incident, and murder charges also have been filed against two teenagers who had not been arrested as of Wednesday.
Ra’niya Steward was shot on Saturday, Feb. 3 while at a family member’s home in the 900 block of Highland Avenue in Alton. Investigators do not believe she was the target of the gunfire.
Ra’niya was known for her love of TikTok videos and was a seventh-grader at Mark Twain Elementary School, according to a KSDK-Channel 5 report. She died Tuesday in a St. Louis hospital.
Here’s a roundup of the charges filed so far:
▪ Alvin Perry III, 19, of Alton, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful use of weapons.
▪ Raysean M. Colvin, 19, of Alton, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, unlawful sale or delivery of firearms and aggravated unlawful use of weapons.
▪ Keith A. Sanders, 24, of Alton, was charged with first-degree murder, contributing to the delinquency or criminal delinquency of a minor and aggravated battery with a firearm.
▪ Vito K. Crowder, 16, of Alton, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful use of weapons.
▪ Dakota M. Perry, 16, of Alton, charged with first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful use of weapons.
Crowder and Dakota Perry had not been arrested as of Wednesday afternoon. Since they were charged with first-degree murder, this resulted in “their automatic certification to be tried in adult court,” according to a news release from Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine and Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford.
Alvin Perry, Colvin and Sanders were being held in the Madison County Jail on Wednesday.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Ra’niya Steward. Our community is heartbroken,” Haine said in a news release Wednesday.
Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said his department “continues to develop information and pursue all available leads in this investigation.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Alton Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 618-463-3505, Ext. 671.
Haine’s office has filed petitions asking that the suspects be held in jail until their trials.
Dakota Perry and Crowder were dropped off on Long Street with the intent to shoot at two individuals, according to the petitions. At least nine shots were fired and one of them hit Ra’niya. The defendants ran from the scene and dropped their guns in bushes as they ran away, according to court records.
Prosecutors allege Colvin gave a Taurus 9mm gun to a juvenile in the belief that the gun would be used to rob, shoot or attempt to scare two persons. The gun was fired and one of the bullets struck Ra’niya.
Alvin Perry is accused of driving two people to Long Street and dropping them off with the belief they would shoot at two people. At least nine shots were fired and one of them struck Ra’niya, according to court records.
Court records allege Sanders “told juveniles a rival faction of individuals were at a specific location knowing that those juveniles would then bring firearms to attempt an armed robbery, shoot at, or attempt to scare the rival faction of individuals. He also then drove the juveniles from the scene after they committed the shooting and brought them back to his residence.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 11:04 AM.
