Man identified after standoff with East Alton police; investigation ongoing

COLLINSVILLE – A man who died during a standoff with police late Thursday night and Friday morning in East Alton has been identified.

Shannon Musgraves, 47, of East Alton died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a standoff with police after he opened fire on officers investigating reports of shots fired in the 200 block of Lakeside Avenue in East Alton.

Illinois State Police released his identity on Saturday. The ISP continues to investigate the incident.

Musgraves had an extensive criminal history, including a 1993 conviction for the murder of his father and a 2022 conviction for aggravated assault of a child under the age of 13, who was a six-month-old infant.

On Thursday, May 23, the incident began around 7 p.m. when East Alton police responded to a report of possible shots fired in the 200 block of Lakeside Avenue, a department news release said.

Officers responded and were unable to locate the source of the gunfire at the time, but returned to the scene around 9 p.m. when a resident reported bullet holes in his home.

According to the Illinois State Police, preliminary investigations indicate that police officers from East Alton and Bethalto were exiting their vehicles when they were shot by a person in a residence.

Officers returned fire and the suspect, later identified as Musgraves, barricaded himself inside the building.

East Alton Police requested assistance from the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System Special Response Team.

Neighboring homes were evacuated and firefighters and an ambulance from East Alton were called to take up positions nearby.

Numerous attempts were made to contact the suspect, but the police received no response.

After some time, there were reports of more gunshots coming from the house. At around 4 a.m., the ILEAS team entered the house and found Musgraves dead. He had apparently inflicted a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Friday, the Madison County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy and confirmed that the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound and the only gunshot wound sustained during the incident.

The ISP is continuing its investigation and will submit its findings to the Madison County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Musgraves’ criminal past includes several convictions for weapons and violent crimes.

Musgraves pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 1993 for shooting his father, Hollis Musgraves, an Alton city employee. Shannon Musgraves was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but in 1993, when the shooting occurred, Illinois law granted one day of parole for every “good day” he served.

In 2011, he was charged with domestic violence in Morgan County and in 2014 he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon; he was later convicted of that crime in federal court.

In 2021, he was charged with assaulting a six-month-old child and convicted the following year. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Because of his numerous convictions for serious crimes, he was prohibited from owning firearms.