More details emerge in fatal shooting of Belleville teen near skateboard park
A Belleville area teen who had failed to appear in court for pending felony charges was ordered Wednesday to remain in jail on a charge of first-degree murder filed after a 16-year-old boy died from gunshot wounds he suffered in a shooting near Skateboard Park in Belleville.
Jalyn A. Givens, 19, of the 6100 block of Leo Drive near the west side of Belleville, was charged with first-degree murder following Hayden Chisholm’s death, according to court records.
Givens has told police he did not shoot Chisholm but a prosecutor said Wednesday a witness identified Givens in a photo lineup.
Chisholm, who attended Belleville East High School, was shot on Oct. 5 on North Second Street during a dispute over a marijuana sale. He died on Dec. 28 in the trauma intensive-care unit of Saint Louis University Hospital, according to information from his family and authorities.
Givens was arrested on Jan. 2 in Dellwood, Missouri.
During a pretrial detention hearing Wednesday, St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara L. Rice ordered Givens to be remanded to the St. Clair County Jail.
Rice said it was a “tragic matter” being discussed in the wake of Chisholm’s death. Rice, who noted other pending felony charges unrelated to the shooting and Givens’ failure to appear in court on Oct. 30, ruled that Givens’ detention was necessary because he is a flight risk and threat to the community.
Along with the murder charge, Givens faces charges of attempted armed robbery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon filed in connection with Chisolm’s death. Charging documents allege he pointed a firearm at another male juvenile on Oct. 5 and demanded the juvenile give him his property.
Givens’ prior felony charges include:
▪ Mob action and aggravated battery charges were filed against him in connection with an attack on Nov. 2, 2023, at West Junior High School at 840 Royal Heights Road in Belleville.
Charging documents for the mob action offense allege Givens and five other people “made physical contact of a provoking nature with individuals” at West Junior High School. The aggravated battery charge alleges Givens and three other people struck someone on his head and body with their hands.
▪ Aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon charges were filed against Givens in 2023. Charging documents allege he had a Glock 26 9mm handgun on April 23, 2023, in a vehicle when he was not on his own property. This weapon is considered a “machine gun,” according to the charging documents. Illinois State Police filed the case.
A bench warrant was issued for Givens when he did not appear in court on Oct. 30 for these prior charges. The most recent charges list Givens’ address on Leo Drive near Belleville while the prior charges listed his address on Mildred Avenue in Cahokia Heights.
Shooting near park
Chisolm was found by police at about 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the 900 block of North Second Street with multiple gunshot wounds. The Belleville Skateboard Park is at 709 N. Second St.
After Hayden Chisholm died, Carrie Gonzalez, the longtime partner of his father, Jeremy Chisholm, said the teen was defending his friend.
“He died protecting a friend, and it has devastated so many lives,” Gonzalez told the Belleville News-Democrat last month.
St. Clair County Assistant State’s Attorney Airika Detmer told Rice in the detention hearing Wednesday that a witness had picked out Givens in a photo lineup.
Detmer also told Rice that Givens has told police he did not shoot Chisholm.
Givens was represented by Belleville attorney Richard Roustio, who told Rice that during “some kind of fight,” Chisholm was “on top of Mr. Givens.”
Roustio argued that Chisolm was shot in his back and that it would not have been possible for Givens to shoot Chisolm since Chisolm was on top of Givens.
“He can’t be shooting someone in the back,” Roustio said of Givens.
Detmer countered by saying that a Belleville Police Department officer has reported that Chisolm was shot in his throat and twice in his chest.
“He was actually shot from the front,” Detmer said.
Roustio asked Rice to allow Givens to leave the jail on electronic monitoring while Detmer asked the judge to detain Givens.
Illinois judges have been conducting detention hearings since September 2023 for people charged with serious offenses. If a judge considers a person dangerous to the community, the person can be remanded to the county jail until their trial, according to the revamped criminal justice system that eliminated cash bail as part of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today, or SAFE-T, Act.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 4:24 PM.
