On the afternoon of July 29, 2020, a burst of gunfire around 1:45 p.m. near the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Goodfellow Boulevard in the Walnut Park West neighborhood of St. Louis left five people shot. Malik Taylor, 22, was one of three people pronounced dead at the scene; 18-year-old Elijah McKinney and 18-year-old Daijon Nearing also died. A 17-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man were wounded and survived.

Police described the incident as a shootout between two rival groups. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide division led the investigation and sought public help. In November 2020, authorities arrested 17-year-old Joshua Amerson and charged him with multiple counts including first-degree murder and second-degree murder in connection with the killings. Prosecutors later dismissed those charges to allow more time to prepare, and cited ongoing witness noncooperation in a subsequent dismissal.

If anyone in Walnut Park West that afternoon has information about the shooting or the groups involved, please come forward to help clarify what happened.