Samuel Spires, a 50-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in Saint Louis, Missouri, on December 9, 2020. The shooting took place in the Mark Twain neighborhood and left a second man wounded; early reports said the other victim was in critical condition.

Within days investigators identified a suspect. Demond M. Stewart, 33, of St. Louis, was taken into custody and charged by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was held without bond as the case began. Few details about the motive or the specific circumstances leading to the shooting have been released.

If anyone witnessed the shooting in the Mark Twain neighborhood or has information that could help with the investigation, please share what is known.