Former Resident of John DeShields in East St. Louis, Illinois Sentenced to 60 Months Incarceration for Possessing Three Shell Casings

Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on March 23, 2018, William J. Stepney, 29, a former resident of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 60 months incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of ammunition.

On January 10, 2017, video surveillance recorded that multiple gunshots were fired from a red Dodge Charger driven by Stepney. Illinois State Police responded to the shooting and recovered multiple spent casings at the intersection of 11th and Bond Avenues in East St. Louis, Illinois. Three additional casings were recovered from the vehicle Stepney drove. Stepney later admitted that, while at the corner of 11th and Bond on January 10, 2017, he had possessed and fired a 9mm handgun at another vehicle. Prior to January 10, 2017, Stepney had been convicted of the felony charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The investigation was conducted by the Illinois State Police with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.