Teen charged with murder in fatal shooting of metro-east man

Illinois State Police have arrested an 18-year-old Missouri man on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting in Venice.

Jason A. McCallum, of Florissant, Missouri, was taken into custody May 30 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after a brief chase, authorities said. Prosecutors in Madison County filed the murder charges Sunday.

He was being held in St. Louis County while awaiting extradition to Illinois.

Venice police asked state police investigators for help May 26 after officers found a man dead in a vehicle in the 1200 block of Selb Street, state police said. The victim was identified as Travion Sherrod, 38, of Madison. According to charging documents, Sherrod had been shot in the head and was later pronounced dead at Saint Louis University Hospital.

Investigators recovered 17 shell casings at the scene. Sherrod’s car was hit 16 times, according to authorities.

A witness reporting hearing gunshots and seeing a white Chevy Impala driving away from the scene at a high rate of speed. Shortly before the shooting, McCallum was captured on surveillance video at a nearby convenience store carrying a firearm with an extended magazine tucked into his waistband, the court documents state.

The white chevy also was captured on video in the vicinity of the shooting, they say.

Prior to McCallum’s arrest, Illinois State Police would only confirm it was aware of a suspicious death in Venice, but did not release other key details “to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”

The investigation is ongoing. State police asked anyone with information to email ISP.CRIMETIPS@illinois.gov, saying tips can be made anonymously.

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 11:32 AM.