On the evening of February 8, 2025, male 17-year-old Parker Airik Bujnak of Belleville was shot while standing outside a vehicle near the intersection of North 59th Street and State Street in East St. Louis.
Emergency responders took the male 17-year-old to Memorial Hospital in Belleville, where he was pronounced dead at 9:30 p.m.
Investigators from the Illinois State Police joined East St. Louis police at the scene as the investigation began that night.
The 17-year-old male was identified by local outlets and the coroner in the days that followed as: Parker Airik Bujnak, and reports placed the shooting at roughly 8:30–8:40 p.m. in the 500 block of North 59th Street.
Early coverage emphasized that detectives were assisting East St. Louis police and that no motive had been released.
Family remembrances and the obituary portrayed 17-year-old Parker Airik Bujnak, as a beloved son and big brother, a graduate of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School and a junior at Belleville East High School. The obituary described a young man who loved electronics, building and creating, and who was deeply loved by family and friends.
Within eleven days, the investigation led to an arrest.
On February 19, 2025, authorities charged 19-year-old Celvin Rogers of East St. Louis in the killing of 17-year-old Parker Bujnak.
According to the Illinois State Police, the suspect was arrested in Missouri by the U.S. Marshals Service and held pending extradition to Illinois.
Prosecutors filed counts of first-degree murder armed robbery with discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon—no FOID/FCCA.
As of those charging announcements, officials had not released a motive. The narrative in official statements remained that Parker Airik Bujnak was shot outside a vehicle and that the case had progressed from an initially unsolved attack to charges against a single 19-year-old suspect from East St. Louis. Subsequent reporting echoed the arrest and charges and noted the continuing nature of the legal process.
