On July 4, 2021, 63-year-old Gail Keys was shot and killed at her home in the Mark Twain neighborhood of St. Louis. Keys had called 911 to report a break-in at her residence on the 5400 block of Ruskin Avenue and identified the intruder as her ex-boyfriend. Officers met Keys outside and accompanied her to the front door.

As Keys opened the door to enter, the intruder, who had been inside the house, opened fire. Keys was struck and fatally wounded in the presence of the responding officers. The shooter then fired at officers, prompting a police perimeter and a standoff. He attempted to flee out the rear of the home and was taken into custody in the gangway. Investigators recovered a seven-shot revolver where he was arrested, and a palm print on plexiglass removed from a broken basement window tied the suspect to the point of entry.

If anyone who knew Gail or has information about the events that night can help, please come forward.