Elijah Malik Hughes, 16, was fatally shot on the morning of July 11, 2025, in the Walnut Park East neighborhood of St. Louis. He was riding a bicycle near Lillian and Genevieve avenues when an assailant opened fire, striking him multiple times. Hughes ran toward Lillian and Beacon avenues, where officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s District 6 found him; he was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. The shooting happened just before 10:30 a.m.

Family tributes described Hughes as a joyful spirit who enjoyed fixing mechanical objects and spending time with his siblings. Police identified a suspect later in July; on July 24, 2025, 18-year-old Darell Bailey was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Authorities had not publicly disclosed a motive at the time of the arrest, and community members gathered at the scene to condemn the violence.

Did anyone in Walnut Park East see Elijah that morning or notice suspicious activity near Lillian and Genevieve avenues?