Man charged in So. Illinois mass shooting refuses to leave cell for hearing
.jpg "A judge issued a ruling Wednesday against a suspect who refused to attend a hearing regarding charges filed after a mass shooting left two dead and five injured in Mount Vernon.")
A man charged in connection with a mass shooting that left two men dead and five injured in Mount Vernon refused to leave his jail cell for a detention hearing Wednesday but a judge still ordered him to be held until trial.
Jamaro J. Kemmerling, 26, of Mount Vernon was arrested and charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, according to a news release from the Mount Vernon Police Department.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy testified that “the defendant refuses to leave his cell in direct defiance of this court’s order,” according to court records. So a detention hearing was “held in absentia,” meaning it was conducted without him present.
Judge Jerry Crisel granted the prosecution’s request that Kemmerling remain in jail until his trial, according to Jefferson County court records.
The records show Public Defender Neil Heflin objected to the hearing. Heflin couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
Kemmerling has told the court he plans to get a private attorney and an arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Kemmerling is the second person to be charged in connection with the mass shooting early Sunday.
Jerria J. Smith, 22, of Mount Vernon was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice but during a hearing Monday afternoon, a judge granted the Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s motion to dismiss the charges “without prejudice,” according to court records. The ruling means a case could be brought forward at a later date against Smith.
A spokesperson for Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun said he declined to comment about the dismissal.
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 persons injured were not available.
“Additional arrests and charges are anticipated as the investigation into this senseless act of gun violence continues,” the police department said in the news release about Kemmerling’s arrest.
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).
Shortly after the shooting, Mount Vernon Mayor John Lewis said officers are “not getting any cooperation” from anyone attending a gathering of 100 to 150 people when gunshots rang out early Sunday.
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.
