Collinsville teen dies weeks after being stabbed during after-hours schoolyard fight
A 16-year-old Collinsville teen died Wednesday after being stabbed outside an elementary school last month and the Collinsville police chief said he expects upgraded charges against a 13-year-old suspect.
Family members identified the victim as Kadin Shepperson, who was remembered for his love of music and dogs, including his newly acquired dog, Bruno.
The name of the suspect has not been released because of his age.
“Our hearts are heavy for the victim’s family as well as everyone involved in this tragic event. We do expect that charges on the 13-year-old suspect will be upgraded as a result of the victim’s death,” Collinsville Police Chief Steve Evans said in a statement Thursday.
The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office said Thursday juvenile petitions were filed against two juveniles “shortly after this tragic incident. This matter remains under review by the State’s Attorney’s Office.”
A news release from the Collinsville Police Department last month gave this account of what happened:
Police received a call at 5:56 p.m. April 19 that a person had been stabbed in a fight involving multiple people in the vicinity of Webster Elementary School at 108 Church St.
Officers found a 16-year-old boy, later identified by family members as Shepperson, near the intersection of South Clinton Street and Glenwood Cemetery.
Shepperson was taken to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis for an apparent stab wound.
“The investigation to this point has revealed that this incident began as a fight between two juveniles, which later evolved into at least two more juveniles intervening,” the news release from April 24 stated.
“At some point, the 16-year-old victim was stabbed in the torso by a 13-year-old juvenile.”
The teen suspect remains in the custody of the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center, Evans said.
The news release noted that the fight occurred after school hours and no Webster students were in danger.
“Statements from witnesses indicate the school was simply chosen as a random place to meet and fight,” police said.
‘Devastating’ for family
Abby Wooley of Maryville said family members have seen a video of the fight in which Shepperson was stabbed.
Wooley, whose husband Josh DuHadway is a cousin of Shepperson’s father, Chad Shepperson, said the video shows that Shepperson was trying to get a knife out of someone’s hand when a person comes up and stabs him with another knife.
“If anything good comes out of what has happened is maybe it will open the eyes to some of these younger kids that you ruin your whole life,” she said.
“It’s just devastating.”
DuHadway has posted a GoFundMe page to help the Shepperson family.
“The knife punctured an artery in his heart,” DuHadway wrote of Shepperson, who was being treated at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, where he died Wednesday.
“He has spent the past 2 weeks fighting for his life in the ICU. Sadly his body couldn’t fight any longer,” the GoFundMe message said Wednesday.
Duhadway echoed his wife’s remarks and wrote, “It is truly devastating that a 16 year old child lost his life due to young kids fighting with weapons.”
Wooley said Shepperson’s grandmother, Lisa Lewis of Collinsville, said her grandson’s “true passion” was music as he rarely watched TV and would listen to all kinds of different music.
Shepperson died just after the third anniversary of his mother’s death, Wooley said. Kristin Elizabeth Alamia died three years ago, on May 1, 2020.
“He loved music, hanging out with his friends, and being outdoors,” according to his obituary.
Wooley and DuHadway took Shepperson a trip to Bull Shoals Lake last year on the Missouri-Arkansas border.
“We were able to take him to the lake last summer,” Wooley said. “He had the time of his life.”
The visitation for Kadin Blake Shepperson will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 10 at Barry Wilson Funeral Home at 2800 N. Center St. in Maryville.
The funeral service will follow the visitation at 1 p.m.
