ALTON – A suspect has been taken into custody regarding a double homicide, which occurred at the 3100 block of Lawn Street in Alton Acres Monday night.
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Vincent Gordon, 35, of the 900 block of Easton in Alton was taken into custody without incident in the early hours of Wednesday morning at 3:43 after police from various departments utilized loudspeakers and even flashbangs – small non-lethal explosives, which cause temporary disorientation and loss of sight. He has since been charged with four counts of first degree murder, each a Class M Felony (two counts each of alternate theories leading to conviction, Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons said). Gordon has been formally accused of shooting Derrick J. Vaughn, 28, and Elijah Ingram, 30, both of Alton, while at a residence at the 3100 block of Lawn Street in Alton Acres by shooting Vaughn in the head and Ingram multiple times about this body with a 9mm pistol. The Madison County States Attorney's Office is seeking a mandatory life sentence in relation to these charges.
More than 25 investigators from the Alton Police Department and Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad were present at a press conference to announce the arrest of Gordon Wednesday afternoon. Alton Police Chief Jake Simmons, Deputy Commander of the Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad Kristopher Tharp of the Madison County Sheriff's Office and Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons each spoke in regard of the case, each offering thoughts and prayers to the families of both Vaughn and Ingram.
Outside of the murder charges, Gordon was also charged with unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 2 Felony, and escape, a Class 3 Felony, after knowingly violating conditions of release from the Illinois Department of Corrections by allegedly removing an electronic device required to be on his person.
Simmons said the arrest of Gordon was a direct result of tips from the family and friends of Vaughn and Ingram, who left behind children and many people who loved them. He described their lives being cut so short as a "tragedy," but said he felt pride in his police department as well as the Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad for such a timely conclusion to this incident.
Gordon was paroled from prison earlier this year after being convicted of several charges related to violence without a firearm after a June 28, 2015, incident in which he and his brother discharged a semi-automatic assault rifle, identified as an AK-47 by sources close to the investigation, and wounded as many as six people in the C & M Lounge, located in Brooklyn, Illinois. He was sentenced to six years.
He also has several previous charges in both Illinois and Missouri, including two counts of reckless homicide related to a 2004 incident in Madison County. He was also charged with two counts of aggravated DUI resulting in death relating to that incident. In Missouri, he was previously convicted of three counts of robbery with one in the first degree, three counts of kidnapping and three counts of armed criminal action.
Sources close to the investigation said the motive of the killing was not random, adding it likely had nothing to do with the previous history of either Vaughn or Ingram.
The use of flashbangs and loudspeakers to get Gordon into police custody may have resulted in the calls several people in Alton made to both the Alton Police Department and Riverbender.com regarding explosions heard across the city. A law enforcement officer told Riverbender.com the tactics used to take Gordon into custody may have echoed across town at that hour, causing multiple people to hear both the use of loudspeakers and flashbangs.
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