Early on the morning of Thursday, February 23, 2023, a 17-year-old male, Dontaevion Little, was found dead in a rear alley in the 4200 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue in the Ville neighborhood of St. Louis. Officers responded about 2:30 a.m. to reports of suspicious activity and shots fired; investigators noted Dontaevion had visible puncture wounds, though it was not immediately confirmed whether those injuries resulted from the reported gunfire.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Dontaevion lived nearby in the 4000 block of Kennerly Avenue, only a short distance from where his body was located. Homicide detectives took over the investigation, and at the time of the initial inquiry no suspects were in custody.

If anyone saw activity in the area that night or has information that could help determine what happened, please contact investigators.