On December 28, 2020, on the 4500 block of Newberry Terrace in the Lewis Place neighborhood of Saint Louis, Mallam Amir Tifah, a 45-year-old Black man, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department arrived at about 2:39 p.m. after reports of gunfire. The medical examiner later recorded nine gunshot wounds, most to Tifah’s back.

Witnesses identified Tifah’s cousin, 39-year-old Anwar Shands, as the shooter. Witnesses said Shands, wearing a red hoodie, fired numerous shots and then fled into a nearby house; a burned red hoodie was later found behind a residence near the scene. Tifah was able to place a 911 call after the initial shots, and the dispatcher heard further gunfire during that call. Shands was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action; a bench trial was held before Judge Lynne R. Perkins.

In October 2025 a guilty verdict was returned against Anwar Shands on both charges. If anyone knew Mallam Tifah or has information about what happened that afternoon, please share what can help the investigation or the family.