Charges filed in teen’s shooting death in Belleville
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A teen was shot and killed in Belleville on Monday night, police say.
The shooting happened in the 100 block of N. 81st Street around 5:30 p.m. The victim was later identified as 16-year-old Di Rico Washington.
Washington was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was a student in the East St. Louis School District, a district spokesperson confirmed to First Alert 4.
A crisis team was activated to provide counseling and resources to East St. Louis students and staff.
Tuesday night, Belleville police said they arrested three suspects. Joseph P. Flagg, 17, was arrested Tuesday afternoon. The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Flagg with first-degree murder, first-degree murder in the commission of a forcible felony, unlawful sale or delivery of a firearm, attempted unlawful sale or delivery of a firearm, unlawful possession of a handgun under 18 years old, and unlawful delivery of cannabis. He was charged as an adult.
Two adult suspects were arrested later in the day in St. Louis City. They were released pending further investigation, Belleville Police said.
J.D. Dixon, Founder of Empire 13, a grassroots activist organization formed to fight for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice reform tells First Alert 4, “Any death is tragic, but for him to be only 16 and not even be able to live his entire life out and just to be a high school student makes it even more tragic.”
He goes on to say, “For one young black teen to lose his life and for another young black teen to be now going to jail, potentially for the rest of his life, that is just two hard hits to our community.”
According to Belleville police, this wasn’t a random act of violence.
We’re told Washington and Flagg knew each other and the preliminary findings indicate the shooting centered on a transaction over cannabis and firearms.
Tuesday, the East St. Louis School District released a statement saying:
“Today, the East St. Louis School District community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of our students, Di Rico Washington. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss.
In response, our crisis team has been activated to provide counseling and resources to students and staff who need assistance during this difficult time. We kindly ask for privacy and respect for the family as they navigate this profound loss and as authorities continue their investigation. Our district remains committed to ing our school community in the days ahead.”
“It affects the kids at the school because they’ve seen him that day and then at night, he’s dead,” says Gloria Hicks, the East St. Louis Chapter Coordinator for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice.
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