Pit bull puppy was part of the dispute that led to O’Fallon bowling alley shooting

Mike Koziatek
·2 min read
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Two of the four men charged in connection with a brawl and shooting that left two people injured in an O’Fallon bowling alley faced a St. Clair County judge in detention hearings Wednesday.

One man was ordered to remain in the St. Clair County Jail until his trial while the other was released with electronic monitoring.

The difference? One is accused of firing a gun several times inside the St. Clair Bowl at 5950 Old Collinsville Road on March 3 when there was a dispute regarding a pit bull puppy while the other man is accused of brandishing a loaded gun, according to a St. Clair County prosecutor.

The two shooting victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and they were released from a hospital.

St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara L. Rice said the scenario of gunfire blasting off in a public place such as a bowling alley filled with people is something “We as Americans fear on a daily basis.”

Rice ordered that Mykel Davis, 20, of St. Louis be held in jail pending his trial.

Davis is charged with one count of possession of a firearm with the requisite Firearms Owners Identification card and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to court records. Police initially reported he was charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Davis’ attorney, Ben Song of the Rosenblum Schwartz Fry & Johnson law firm in St. Louis, told Rice that Davis has a “clear case of self-defense” and that he should be allowed to remain free before his trial.

St. Clair County Assistant State’s Attorney Levi Carwile told Rice that police have reviewed surveillance video recorded at the bowling alley and that Davis fired a gun multiple times.

In the second detention hearing, Rice ordered that Otarius T. Thomas, 28, of O’Fallon can be placed on electronic monitoring and released from the county jail as long as authorities confirm his home address.

Thomas’ attorney, Robert Bas of Edwardsville, said Thomas lives in O’Fallon with his aunt and uncle. Police had initially reported that Thomas did not have a home.

The detention hearings conducted for Davis and Thomas were part of the state’s new criminal justice system that began Sept. 18 when the cash-bail system ended. Since then, Illinois judges have conducted detention hearings to determine whether someone charged with serious offenses should remain in jail before their trial.

Two others have been charged in the St. Clair Bowl case:

  • Brandon Smith, 32, of Columbia, Missouri, faces one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one count of obstructing justice. O’Fallon police said Smith had not been arrested as of Wednesday afternoon.

  • Imunique Williams, 25, of East St. Louis, faces one count of aggravated battery. He was released from jail Tuesday, according to court records. Charging documents allege that he slammed Davis to the ground.