On Wednesday afternoon, January 15, 2025, 22-year-old Deandre Pickens was shot and killed in the Fairground neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Officers found Pickens just after 1 p.m. in the rear of the 3500 block of Harper Street with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene despite EMS efforts.

Surveillance video showed Pickens sitting in his car when two people approached. One of them, later identified as Coreyon Blanks, reached through the passenger-side window. As Pickens began to exit the vehicle, another suspect, identified as Christopher Taylor, allegedly fired a gun. Pickens managed to get out of the car before collapsing and the suspects fled.

Three people were arrested in connection with the killing: 24-year-old JVonta Johnson, 18-year-old Christopher Taylor, and 16-year-old Coreyon Blanks. Police say the three conspired to rob Pickens of his firearm and vehicle; Johnson reportedly admitted planning the robbery, was in the backseat during the incident, then drove away in Pickens’s car and later handed the victim’s gun to the others. Blanks was certified to stand trial as an adult after initially being charged as a juvenile and was detained while reportedly attempting to leave by bus.

If anyone in the Fairground area saw the shooting or has information about the events leading up to it, please share what is known.