Charges quickly dropped against woman in weekend mass shooting in So. Illinois
The Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s Office Monday dropped charges filed against a woman in connection with a mass shooting that left two people dead and five injured in Mount Vernon over the weekend.
Jerria J. Smith, 22, of Mount Vernon had been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice, but during a hearing Monday afternoon, a judge granted the state’s attorney’s motion to dismiss the case “without prejudice,” according to court records.
This means a case could be brought forward against Smith at a later date.
A defense attorney for Smith was not listed in court records.
A spokesperson for Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun said he declined to comment about the dismissal.
A representative from the Mount Vernon Police Department could not be reached for comment.
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard said Smith was in the process of being released from the county jail Monday afternoon.
As police investigate the mass shooting, Mayor John Lewis said in a statement officers are “not getting any cooperation” from anyone attending a gathering of 100 to 150 people when gunshots rang out early Sunday.
Police have not released information about what led to the shooting.
Zomarrius Williams, 20, of Mount Vernon and Demonta Woodward, 26, of Mounds died in the shooting, which was reported at 12:49 a.m. Sunday in the 600 block of South 15th Street, the Mount Vernon Police Department said in a news release.
The conditions of the five injured victims were not available.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Mount Vernon Police Department at 618-242-2132 or CrimeStoppers at 618-242-8477 (TIPS).
Williams, who went by “Zo,” was a 2023 graduate of the Jefferson County CEO program that offers entrepreneurial training.
“Zo brought an unforgettable energy, contagious smile and genuine kindness to everyone he encountered,” the CEO program said in a statement. “His presence left a lasting impact on the CEO program, his peers and our entire community.”
A “prayer for peace” in Mount Vernon is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at The Commons, which is across the street from the courthouse at 100 S. 10th St.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 3:48 PM.
