On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 8, 2015, 50-year-old Willie H. Reed Jr. was punched outside a rent-to-own business in the 4300 block of Natural Bridge Avenue in north St. Louis. The force of the strike sent Reed backward; he struck his head on the pavement, was found unconscious and not breathing in the parking lot of a mini-mart, and later died of severe head injuries. Emergency services had been dispatched after a report of an assault at about 1:26 p.m.

Witnesses said the man who threw the punch fled immediately, getting into a sport utility vehicle driven by another person. A nearby store employee described Reed as a regular and familiar presence in the area. The St. Louis police classified the death as a homicide and opened an investigation, but did not release a physical description of the attacker. No arrests have been announced and the case remains unsolved.

If anyone who knew Willie Reed or saw activity on Natural Bridge Avenue that afternoon can help, please share what you remember.