East St. Louis teenager is victim of Cahokia Heights homicide, coroner says
A shooting in Cahokia Heights Tuesday evening left one dead, police said.
Police responded to a call for shots fired around the 100 block of St. James Lane at about 7 p.m. There they found a young male deceased of apparent gunshot wounds, Chief Thomas L. Trice said.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the victim as Fontez Forest, 17, of the 3300 block of Converse in East St. Louis. Forest was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:58 p.m., Dye said.
Trice said the Cahokia Heights Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division is working the case. Limited information is being released at this time, and he declined to comment on if a suspect is in custody or identify the victim.
According to previous BND reporting, the death marks the ninth homicide in Cahokia Heights this year.
This story was originally published December 24, 2025 at 1:37 PM.