On the early morning of August 31, 2024, 16-year-old Karmel Graham was fatally shot in the Bellefontaine Neighbors area of St. Louis County, Missouri. Graham, who lived on the 4600 block of Enright Avenue in St. Louis, was with friends around 2:45 a.m. in the 1100 block of Oran Drive. Investigators say Graham and an unidentified third person were reportedly checking vehicles when a 46-year-old resident, Michael Tolden, came out of his home and confronted them.

A juvenile witness told authorities they saw Tolden brandish a firearm and attempted to flee back into their vehicle; Tolden allegedly fired multiple shots into the car as they tried to escape. Graham, seated in the driver’s seat, was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. The St. Louis County Police Department opened a homicide investigation. Tolden was taken into custody that Saturday, confessed during questioning, and was charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action; he was held on a $1 million cash-only bond.

If anyone has information about what happened that night or knew Karmel, please share tips with the St. Louis County Police.