Police arrest three suspects in fatal shooting of 16-year-old in west Belleville

The Belleville Police Department on Tuesday night announced it had made three arrests in its investigation of the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy from Monday.

St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the victim as Di’Rico V. Washington.

Detectives from the Belleville Police Department arrested a juvenile suspect who will be transferred to St. Clair County Juvenile Detention Center. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department also assisted with the arrest of two adults in St. Louis who are being held at the City of St. Louis Justice Center.

Authorities believe the incident was not a random act of violence. Belleville police said in a statement Tuesday that their preliminary findings indicate the shooting was over a transaction of cannabis and firearms.

Officers were dispatched to the 100 block of North 81st Street at 5:31 p.m. Monday after receiving reports of multiple gunshots. They found Washington on the ground in front of a home with multiple gunshot wounds.

Washington was transported to Memorial Hospital in Belleville, where he was pronounced deceased at 6:23 p.m. by an emergency room doctor.

“Detectives continue to investigate additional details and are working closely with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office,” Belleville police wrote in a news release Tuesday.

Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Belleville Police Department’s Investigations Division at 618-234-1212 or Crime Stoppers at 866-371-8477.

This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 12:02 AM.