Samuel Valles-Rendon Jr., 29, was found dead inside his truck after a late-night crash in the 600 block of Robert Avenue in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis in November 2021. Emergency crews were dispatched for a vehicle collision just before midnight but determined the crash was not the primary cause of death. Valles-Rendon, a Black / African American male originally from Berkeley, Missouri, had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe the shooting likely occurred about a block away, in the 7100 block of Alabama Avenue. Residents reported hearing several gunshots just before the crash, and officers found broken glass on Alabama Avenue. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division has not publicly identified any suspects and no arrests have been announced; the investigation remains open.

If anyone heard gunfire or saw activity in the 7100 block of Alabama Avenue or the 600 block of Robert Avenue on that November night, please contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division with any information that might help solve this case.