MURPHYSBORO – A Carbondale man has been charged in the August 2021 death of a SIU Carbondale student.
Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez announced Wednesday that he has charged 22-year-old Keavonte T. Nesby with two counts of First-degree Murder, two counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, and one count of Aggravated Unlawful Possession of a Weapon relating to the death of 18-year-old Keeshanna Jackson on Aug. 22. 2021.
The Carbondale Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a shooting incident on the 500 block of West Cherry Street in Carbondale. Upon arrival, officers saw remnants of a house party at 501 West Cherry Street and found Jackson in the yard with a life-threatening gunshot wound. She was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale where lifesaving efforts were eventually exhausted. Three other individuals were treated and released from the emergency room for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Detectives from the Carbondale Police Department’s Investigation’s Bureau, the SIU Carbondale Department of Public Safety, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Illinois State Police began an extensive investigation that involved the identification of over 100 individuals who were believed to have attended the party. The investigation led to Nesby as the shooter responsible for Jackson’s death.
Cervantez explained that the shooting occurred between two rival groups that had been feuding at the time of the incident. Multiple arrests of individuals involved with these groups have been made since the shooting incident on Aug. 22, 2021. Nesby has been charged with First-degree Murder among other offenses, but the investigation into the incident is still active and ongoing.
Nesby is currently being detained and will appear for the first time in this case on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Jackson County Courthouse in Murphysboro.
The Carbondale Police Department led the investigation with the support and collaboration of the Illinois State Police, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Coroner, the SIU Department of Public Safety, and the FBI.
