A Georgia man has been convicted for a violent 2017 armed robbery at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Illinois, where a security guard was shot and seriously injured.

Daryl S. Muhammad, 48, and two accomplices entered the casino (now DraftKings at Casino Queen) around 2 a.m. on September 17, 2017, armed with rifles. The men fired shots into the air and forced employees to the ground while robbing the cashier's cage. Security guard and local firefighter Larry Weber was shot by Muhammad when approaching the cage, requiring two surgeries but eventually recovering.

The armed robbers escaped with $47,000, which was later recovered near an abandoned getaway car in East St. Louis. Muhammad was arrested in January 2019 in Cobb County, Georgia, by U.S. Marshals, while his two accomplices remain at large.

After a weeklong trial in St. Clair County Court, Muhammad was convicted of armed robbery, aggravated battery with a firearm (both class X felonies), and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (a class 2 felony). He faces up to 60 years in prison at sentencing.

Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly emphasized that the conviction demonstrates their commitment to pursuing justice regardless of time passed. St. Clair County State's Attorney James Gomric acknowledged the collaborative effort between Illinois State Police, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and local prosecutors in securing the conviction.

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