On the evening of March 29, 2022, officers in St. Louis responded to a shooting at a residence on the 5600 block of Summit Place in Walnut Park West. First responders found 12-year-old LaFrance Johnson unresponsive from a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene. LaFrance had been visiting relatives and did not live at the house.

Investigators determined the shooting was accidental and involved LaFrance’s 10-year-old brother. Police say the younger boy found an unsecured AR-style shotgun in the home and was handling it when it discharged. Authorities arrested 36-year-old Asia Johnson, the boys’ aunt, after she told police the firearm belonged to her. She was charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death, accused of failing to properly secure the weapon.

LaFrance was a sixth-grade student described by family as charismatic and creative who enjoyed drawing and writing books. Community groups and the school district responded by offering condolences and distributing free gun locks to residents. Did anyone in Walnut Park West have information about how the firearm came to be unsecured?