St. Clair County judge issues ruling in case of Belleville man charged in shooting
A Belleville man who is recovering from being shot in his head and losing his right eye in May was ordered to remain in jail Tuesday on charges that allege he shot a woman in Belleville during a reported domestic disturbance last week.
Rashad C. Lozan, 21, was charged with three felonies: aggravated battery with a firearm causing injury, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and aggravated discharge of a firearm at an occupied building in connection with a shooting Friday.
The victim in the shooting suffered a gunshot wound in her calf when she was running away from a home on Gatewood Court, according to St. Clair County Assistant State’s Attorney Levi Carwile.
Belleville Police said in a news release that the victim was taken to a hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The victim had told investigators that she and Lozan had been friends and that she had wanted to help him, Carwile said.
Carwile described the shooting on Gatewood Court as part of a detention hearing conducted Tuesday to determine whether Lozan should remain in custody before his trial.
St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara L. Rice ordered that Lozan should be held in the St. Clair County Jail until his trial since he could pose a threat to public safety.
Rice also noted Lozan has a “lengthy” criminal history and paperwork had been filed to have his probation revoked before the shooting on Friday.
In her arguments to have Lozan released before his trial, St. Clair County Public Defender Cathy MacElroy told Rice that Lozan’s medical issues cannot be properly addressed in jail. Details about the May shooting incident were not released but MacElroy said Lozan has a “significant amount of swelling.”
MacElroy also told Rice that a self-defense case may be made for Lozan since the victim also had a gun and tossed it into a sewer drain. But then Carwile countered that the victim was running away from the home when she was shot.
MacElroy asked Rice that Lozan be evaluated for his mental fitness to stand trial and to determine his sanity at the time of the Friday incident.
Lozan’s other pending criminal charges include two domestic battery charges filed in connection with an attack reported on March 30 in Cahokia Heights. The charging documents note that he has a previous conviction for domestic battery in 2022.
Lozan also faces aggravated fleeing from police and possession of a stolen vehicle charges in connection with an incident on Oct. 11 in Madison County, according to court records.
Illinois ended its cash bail system on Sept. 18. Since then, Illinois judges have conducted detention hearings to determine whether someone charged with serious offenses should remain in jail before their trial.
