Cahokia Heights 11-year-old was caught in crossfire of gunfight, prosecutor says
The girlfriend for the man charged with shooting an 11-year-old boy as he rode his bicycle through a Cahokia Heights neighborhood said he cannot be the one who pulled the trigger because he was asleep in bed.
But a St. Clair County prosecutor laid out a case against Jeremiah A. Johnson, 33, during a pretrial hearing Monday that prompted Judge Sarah Rice to order he be held in jail until trial. The evidence included testimony of a 14-year-old witness.
Johnson was arrested last Wednesday and charged with felony counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, mob action, and obstructing justice.
The child was struck in the head by gunfire as he peddled down Andrew Street on July 21 at about 3:30 p.m., the charges against Johnson allege. The boy remains in critical condition at an area hospital.
During Monday’s pretrial detention hearing, prosecuting attorney Judy Dalan said the boy was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle between Johnson and a 22-year-old named Kevin Staples.
Staples and his 17-year-old girlfriend were walking their child past Johnson’s residence in the 1600 block of Andrew Street when Johnson threatened to shoot him, Dalan said.
Staples’ girlfriend left with the baby and said she was out of sight when the shooting began.
According to Dalan, a 14-year-old passerby said he then saw three men approach Staples, one of whom he later identified as Johnson, and saw all four pull out guns.
A doorbell video camera captured a portion of the firefight, but showed only Staples firing shots, which Dalan said were in self-defense. Staples dropped the gun in the stroller, pushed it away from him, and ran from the scene, Dalan said.
Staples has not been charged with a crime in connection with last week’s shooting but a petition has been filed to revoke pretrial release on a 2023 charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Staples did not identify Johnson as the shooter when shown a lineup photo, but said he looked familiar. The 14-year-old witness, however, identified Johnson to investigators from a photograph and said he saw him point a gun at Staples. He also identified another suspected gunman from a separate photograph.
Patrick Sullivan, Johnson’s defense attorney, countered that the 14-year-old described only a Black man with dreadlocks in Cahokia, implying that it is a common description. He said the boy told police the suspect had short to medium length hair, while Johnson’s dreads go past his chest. Sullivan also said the 14-year-old was told by police to “point to who looks like they could have been the suspect.”
In bed during shooting
Authorities executed 15 search warrants on Johnson’s residence since July 21 and during one search took two other men and Johnson’s girlfriend, Breniesha Willimas, into custody. None of them have been charged in connection with the shooting.
Police also recovered seven guns stashed in a shed adjacent to Johnson’s property but not owned by Johnson, Dalan said.
Finally, Dalan said investigators found evidence of what they believed to be recently destroyed surveillance system, which Johnson said was not functional at the time of the shooting.
“Someone (shot the 11-year-old), and I want them found and put in jail,” said Sullivan. “Unfortunately for some, it is not the guy sitting to my right.”
Williams testified during the hearing that Johnson was in bed by at least 2 p.m. It was only after the shooting occurred, she told the judge, that Johnson got out of bed and told his two children to get down.
After the shooting, Williams said she walked outside and saw a bike lying on the ground down the road. She said Johnson checked on the 11-year-old victim and returned to the house “teary eyed.”
Under questioning from Dalan, Williams said she was a light sleeper and would have known if Johnson had gotten out of bed before her. She also said had never known the damaged surveillance system on the house to be functional.
Sullivan said Johnson will be pursuing a not-guilty plea.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM.
