DeAra Banks, 35, was fatally shot on the evening of April 5, 2026, in the 6900 block of Pine Ridge Drive in the Northwoods neighborhood of St. Louis County. Northwoods officers responded to a shooting call at about 5:30 p.m. and found Banks with life-threatening gunshot wounds; she was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased.

The Northwoods Police Department asked the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons to take over the investigation. Detectives are treating the death as a homicide. In the immediate aftermath no suspects had been identified and no arrests were reported. Authorities have asked the public to contact investigators or submit anonymous tips through CrimeStoppers with any information.

What did residents in the Pine Ridge Drive area see or hear that evening that could help investigators piece together what happened?