EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — An Illinois man was arrested Saturday, more than a year after at-large warrants for first-degree murder were issued for his arrest.
According to a release from the Illinois State Police, Deandre Cotton, 38, was found at a home in East St. Louis Saturday morning and taken into custody by a SWAT team. He was taken to the St. Clair County Jail and is being held on a $1.25 million bond.
The charges stem from a deadly April 19, 2021, shooting on the parking lot of Clyde C. Jordan Senior Citizen Center in East St. Louis. A 33-year-old man from Belleville was shot and injured. He was taken to a regional hospital where he later died from his injuries.
On Saturday, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force worked with the Illinois State Police to track Cotton to an apartment on the 700 block of Morehouse Court in East St. Louis. He was hiding in a crawl space at the apartment building, so officers evacuated the building, and a SWAT team conducted a raid and took him into custody.
No one was injured in the raid.
Cotton was charged with first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm.
This case was investigated by ISP DCI Zone 6, the ISP Public Safety Enforcement Group, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the East St. Louis Police Department.
Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to “stabilize inner-city neighborhoods.” One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program.
To learn more, call 314-381-8200 or visit https://www.betterfamilylife.org/
Life Outside of Violence “helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence.”
To learn more, call 314-327-6697 or email: ProjectLOV@WUSTL.edu
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership with Saint Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth.
To learn more, visit https://www.ulstl.com/anti-crime-initiative.html
Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities. To learn more, visit https://cvg.org/
