A fatal shooting in Velda City on April 3, 2025, left 63-year-old Robert Lee Prince Jr. dead. Officers from the Pagedale Police Department found Prince outside a residence in the 7000 block of Lexington Avenue after a report of a shooting at about 3:15 p.m.; he had suffered fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses reported a heated verbal argument in the parking lot followed by the sound of a single gunshot, and one witness familiar with the suspect identified his voice.

Investigators focused on 31-year-old acquaintance Terrell T. Mays, who lived in the same apartment complex. Mays fled the area after the shooting but returned and was taken into custody. During interrogation he demonstrated how he held the firearm when he fired, admitted hiding the gun at his father’s house, and confirmed the recovered weapon was used in the slaying. The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office charged Mays with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and tampering with physical evidence; he was held on a $200,000 cash-only bond.

Prince was remembered as a devoted family man and a man of faith, a Central High School graduate who became an ordained Elder in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, sang in his community, and ran a lawn care business after retiring from food production. If anyone knew Prince or has information about the events that day, please come forward.