On the night of May 19, 2018, two men were fatally shot in the Penrose neighborhood of north St. Louis. Ira Johnson, 55, and 61-year-old Sylvester Caston were both found dead at the scene after gunfire around 10:30 p.m. A vehicle belonging to one of the victims was taken during the incident, adding a robbery element to the killings.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department identified Corliss F. Mack, Jr. and Qiana Fletcher as suspects and charged both with two counts of first-degree murder and related offenses including first-degree robbery and kidnapping. Reports state the victims and suspects were known to one another and that a dispute escalated into deadly force.

Corliss F. Mack, Jr. was tried and, in 2021, convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action; he received concurrent 20-year sentences. Does anyone in Penrose have information about that night or about Ira Johnson’s life and connections that could shed light on what led to the dispute?