EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Five people are facing amended murder charges in a shooting from earlier this month after the teenage victim died of their injuries.
The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed first-degree murder charges against the defendants on Wednesday. The victim, Ra’niya Steward, died Tuesday at a St. Louis-area hospital. She was 13.
The shooting took place on the afternoon of Saturday, February 3, in the 900 block of Highland Avenue. Steward was standing on the front porch of a home that had come under fire.
Steward suffered a gunshot wound to her head and was brought to a hospital across the river for treatment.
Preliminary evidence suggests Steward was not the intended target, prosecutors said.
Last week, Alvin Perry III, 19, and Raysean M. Colvin, 19, were charged with attempted first-degree murder and other felonies. However, Steward’s death means the charges are no longer “attempted.”
Also Wednesday, the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Keith A. Sanders, 24, with first-degree murder and contributing to the delinquency or criminal delinquency of a minor.
Two 16-year-olds, Vito K. Crowder and Dakota M. Perry, were charged with first-degree murder, certifying them to be tried as adults. Prosecutors said Crowder and Perry are not in custody as of Wednesday afternoon.
