Harley Branscomb was 22 when he was found with gunshot wounds near the Missouri end of the Eads Bridge before dawn on January 28, 2024. Police pronounced him dead at the scene; a 23-year-old woman who had been with him was not physically injured. Investigators said they believed Branscomb had been shot while inside a vehicle somewhere else in St. Louis and were working backward from where he collapsed to determine where the shots were fired. Early accounts left key moments uncertain: where the attacker first pulled alongside, where bullets entered the car, and how Branscomb came to be on the pavement near the bridge.

Reports later said two men were charged in the killing on March 12, 2024, with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Those reports described an alleged drive-by style attack involving two vehicles, with gunfire directed at Branscomb’s car while he was traveling with his girlfriend. Family remembrances describe Branscomb as a welder who loved to make people laugh and had an infectious smile.

If anyone has information about the hours leading up to the shooting or saw activity around the Eads Bridge that night, please share what is known.