A St. Louis cookout turned deadly on the evening of March 15, 2025, when 44-year-old Percy Bowman was shot and killed in the Fairground neighborhood. The shooting happened about 6:19 PM in the 4200 block of Peck Street after Bowman questioned the presence of 31-year-old Turley Smith at the gathering. Police say the argument escalated and that Smith allegedly took Bowman’s own gun and shot him; witnesses reported Smith fired again after Bowman fell to the ground.

Officers arriving on scene found Bowman with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead there. Bowman, known as P or Perc, was a Hazelwood father of four and remembered by family as fun, loving, and a comedian. Homicide detectives identified Smith as the primary suspect and he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Did anyone at the cookout or nearby that evening see the altercation or have information about how Smith came to be there?