Kevin Brown, 20, was killed after an argument at a Save-A-Lot grocery store in the Riverview neighborhood of Saint Louis on December 19, 2016. The dispute with another man, Lamarkis Cowan, moved from inside the store into the parking lot. As Brown tried to leave the scene, Cowan produced a firearm and shot him multiple times; Brown collapsed in the parking lot and died of his injuries.

Investigators identified 27-year-old Lamarkis Cowan as the primary suspect. He later turned himself in and was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, held on a $1 million cash-only bond. As Cowan’s trial approached, he accepted a plea deal: in April 2019 he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a 14-year prison sentence. Cowan’s attorney said a self-defense claim would have been raised at trial but the plea was accepted as the best option for all parties.

If anyone witnessed the confrontation in the store or the parking lot that night, or has information about what led up to it, please share what is known.