MARION COUNTY — A Saturday afternoon autopsy conducted on the body of a 26-year-old Mt. Vernon man confirmed he died instantly of a single gunshot that struck him early Christmas morning in the parking lot of Party Liquors Bar in Centralia.

According to Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon, Leroy Roberson was struck in the lower left back with an upward trajectory. The bullet traveled through several vital organs including his heart and according to the postmortem conducted Saturday at the Madison County Morgue in Wood River, it appears Roberson died instantly.

Police responded to the bar on North Elm around 1:25 Christmas morning on a report of shots fired. Once on scene they found Roberson and he was transported to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia where he was pronounced dead.

During the response to the shooting, an Illinois State Trooper in the vicinity and located a subject fleeing from the scene on foot and took him into custody.

Police have identified that subject as 27-year-old Demetrice Lockett, of Mulberry Grove, and say their investigation identified him as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Roberson.

According to police, Lockett dropped a gun believed used in the shooting before he was apprehended, but the gun firearm was later located.

Lockett was transported to the Marion County Jail where he awaits the formal filing of charges in relation to the Roberson homicide and the setting of bail.