Timothy Leon Gunter Jr., 23, was shot to death in the early morning of August 30, 2015, on the 6300 block of Lenox Avenue in Wellston, Missouri. Police found his body at the rear of a residence after responding to a shooting call around 1:00 a.m.; he was pronounced dead at the scene with fatal gunshot wounds. The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis took over the investigation and interviewed witnesses.

Investigators focused on 27-year-old Brandon Anthony Tate. Court testimony described Tate driving a black vehicle with a passenger, Michelle Jefferson, when they passed Gunter and two companions, Dennell Jones and Quincy Pirtle. Witnesses said Gunter identified Tate as the car passed; Tate then circled the block, accelerated toward the men, shouted a racial slur and an aggressive remark, and opened fire. Tate was arrested September 4, 2015, charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, and later tried. Victim statements and passenger testimony were presented at trial, and evidence included a prior altercation a week earlier between Tate and Gunter’s half-brother, Leavie Morris.

Anyone who knew Timothy Gunter, his movements that night, or who witnessed the shooting is asked to share information.