On the evening of April 5, 2022, 19-year-old Corey Blackwell-Gines was fatally shot while riding as a passenger in a car in the Academy neighborhood of St. Louis. The vehicle was in the 5000 block of Minerva Avenue, just west of North Kingshighway, at about 9:20 p.m. when another car pulled alongside and opened fire. The driver of the targeted car reported hearing the gunshots and seeing an assailant firing from a silver vehicle.

Two passengers were struck; Blackwell-Gines died after being taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and the other passenger, 22, was left in critical condition. Family remembered Corey as loving, caring, outgoing, with a big heart and a beautiful smile, and have since established a nonprofit called Corey’s Way of Caring aimed at helping the community and addressing gun violence. No suspect identities or arrests have been released and the investigation remains open.

If anyone has information about the shooting or saw a silver vehicle acting suspiciously in that area on April 5, please come forward.