Granite City Women Charged With Recklessly Discharging Firearms
Woman from Granite City accused of shooting victim in shoulder; another city resident charged with firing weapon near victim.
GRANITE CITY – Two women from Granite City accused of recklessly firing weapons face felony charges in unrelated cases.
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Shenelle R. Johnson, 43, of Granite City, was charged on Sept. 2, 2025 with a Class X felony count of aggravated battery with a firearm and a Class 3 felony count of felon in possession of a weapon.
Johnson allegedly discharged a firearm without legal justification, striking the victim in the shoulder and causing injury on Aug. 29, 2025. According to charging documents, her possession of the “silver handgun” used in the reported battery was unlawful given her previous felony conviction of reckless discharge of a firearm in a prior Madison County case from 2023.
The state’s petition to deny Johnson’s pretrial release from custody states the victim reported seeing Johnson “circling the neighborhood” before parking near the victim’s residence. The situation escalated after the victim approached Johnson.
“Victim approached to talk and defendant continued to yell at her, then displaying a weapon and discharging it once, hitting victim in the shoulder,” the petition states. “Witness reported that victim approached defendant's vehicle and was suddenly shot.”
In an interview with authorities, Johnson reportedly claimed the victim and another witness “approached her aggressively and the firearm accidentally discharged.” However, video of the incident reportedly confirmed the victim approached “without anything in her hands” and the additional witness did not approach Johnson. Electronic Monitoring records also reportedly showed Johnson “was circling the area prior to the shooting, apparently waiting for victim.”
Martrise A. Caldwell, 35, of Granite City, was also charged on Sept. 2, 2025 in a separate case with one count each of reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of weapons, both Class 4 felonies.
On Aug. 30, 2025, Caldwell reportedly discharged a firearm in a reckless manner near the victim, endangering their bodily safety. Her possession of the weapon, a .380 caliber handgun, was reportedly unlawful as it was uncased, loaded, and immediately accessible and she had no valid Concealed Carry License at the time of the offense.
A separate petition was filed to deny Caldwell’s pretrial release from custody, stating the victim reported seeing a vehicle she knew belonged to Caldwell following her.
“Victim then observed Caldwell on foot at the corner of Ridgedale Ave and Edwards, armed with a firearm,” the petition states. “Victim reported that Caldwell discharged the firearm multiple times.”
After officers located Caldwell, she reportedly “admitted to discharging the firearm into the air.” Authorities later located the firearm in Caldwell’s residence.
The cases against Johnson and Caldwell were presented by the Granite City Police Department. Johnson currently remains in custody at the Madison County Jail, while Caldwell was ordered remanded to jail for his initial court appearance.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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