On the morning of June 4, 2020, a funeral gathering in the Walnut Park East neighborhood of St. Louis turned deadly when 21-year-old Darius Houston of Hazelwood was shot as he was leaving a service near the 5500 block of Gilmore Avenue. He was struck in the chest, taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The shooting happened in broad daylight outside a place of worship while mourners were attending to another loss.

A 2018 graduate of St. Mary’s High School, Houston was remembered by his school and coaches as a standout basketball player and a joyful student who was famous for always wearing a smile. Investigators described the shooting as appearing to be a random act, with no known prior relationship between Houston and the person sought in the case.

If anyone was in the Walnut Park East area around Gilmore Avenue that morning or has information about who fired the shots, please come forward.