ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis appeared in court Tuesday to face a federal carjacking charge connected to a fatal shooting in St. Louis earlier this month.
Laveal D. Jones II, 24, was charged by complaint October 14 with carjacking.
Charging documents say Jones and the victim were at a Sauget, Illinois night club early on the morning of October 1. Based on witnesses and electronic evidence, they later drove back to St. Louis, dropping off someone else before pausing in the 3000 block of Walton Place. They arrived at 4:24 a.m. Two shots were heard two minutes later. Shortly after the shots were heard, a body could be seen on video in the street. Other video cameras spotted the victim’s car being driven to East St. Louis. Police were called to Walton Place at about 5:46 a.m. and found the victim’s body.
The East Saint Louis Fire Department found the victim’s 2015 Kia K900 on fire at 5:51 a.m.
Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.