More Metro East crime-fighting tools after recent shootings

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Multiple high-ranking officials will be in East St. Louis Wednesday morning to reveal details about new crime-fighting efforts coming to the metro east as the Major Case Squad currently investigates two metro east murder cases.

Authorities including the Director of the Illinois State Police, Brendan Kelly, will be at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center at 10:00 a.m. to announce that more resources are coming to the metro east to try and reduce crime. Kelly told Fox 2 Wednesday morning that the thrust of the announcement will be license plate readers. The announcement is certainly timely given the current Major Case Squad investigations, and there is an update in one of those cases.

The Major Case Squad released an image of a person of interest wanted in connection with the murder that happened Tuesday morning at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Metro Station in East St. Louis. The station is very close to where Tuesday morning’s event is taking place.

Authorities have identified the victim in the metro case as 23-year-old Turyan Austell Jr. of Shiloh. Investigators said Austell and another man got into a dispute at the JJK station. That escalated into the suspect allegedly shooting Austell, who was on the MetroLink train at the time. The train went on to the next stop in Washington Park where first responders treated Austell.

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Tragically, Austell died from his injuries.

Then later in the day, the Major Case Squad was activated again after a double shooting in Madison on Edwardsville Road. One person was killed and another survived that shooting. The survivor was taken to a nearby hospital with what authorities are calling non-life threatening injuries. The identity of the victims in this case have not yet been released and there are no suspects in custody.

ISP Director Kelly will be joined Wednesday morning by Illinois State Senator Christopher Belt, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric, and East St. Louis Police Chief Kendall Perry.

More specifics on the additional resources will be announced at the event.