A Georgia man has been convicted for a violent 2017 armed robbery at 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, they fired shots into the air and forced employees to the ground. Security guard and local firefighter Larry Weber was shot by Muhammad while approaching the cashier's cage, requiring two surgeries but eventually recovering.

The robbers stole $47,000 from multiple cash drawers before fleeing. The stolen money 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, though his accomplices remain at large.

After a week-long trial in St. Clair County Court, Muhammad was convicted of:

• Armed robbery (Class X felony)
• Aggravated battery with a firearm (Class X felony)
• Unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (Class 2 felony)

He faces up to 60 years in prison at sentencing. Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly emphasized that the department will pursue justice regardless of time passed, while St. Clair County State's Attorney James Gomric acknowledged the collaborative effort between agencies that led to the conviction.

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