David Wells

On a warm Sunday evening, the life of David Wells, a 28-year-old man known to friends as "2 Supa Dave," was brought to a violent end. Remembered by loved ones as both a "lover and a fighter" with a funny personality, David was a father to two children. His death on August 21, 2022, added to a particularly violent week in St. Louis, a period that saw a total of thirteen homicides, with five occurring in less than 24 hours around the time of his death.

Just after 9 p.m., officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were called to the 200 block of East Grand Avenue. In the industrial and sparsely populated Near North Riverfront neighborhood, which lies along the banks of the Mississippi River, they made a grim discovery. David Wells was found lying unresponsive in the middle of the street. He had been shot. Despite the arrival of emergency services, nothing could be done to save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later confirmed that his home address was on the 1800 block of Warren Street, several miles away in the city's Old North St. Louis neighborhood.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division immediately took charge of the case. Detectives canvassed the area for evidence and potential witnesses, a challenging task in a neighborhood dominated by warehouses and commercial properties with few residential buildings. The initial reports from police were sparse on details, stating only that the victim had died from an "apparent shooting." The motive for the attack and the circumstances that led David to that location late on a Sunday night were not publicly known.

In the days and weeks that followed, authorities did not release any information about a potential suspect or any persons of interest in the case. No descriptions of individuals or vehicles seen in the area at the time of the shooting were made public, and it is unknown if any surveillance footage was recovered from nearby businesses. The investigation into who killed David Wells and why has remained open and active, but has yielded no arrests or formal charges.

The absence of a resolution has left David's family and friends without answers. The case has received little media follow-up, and no public vigils or memorials were reported in the news. His death is one of many unsolved homicides in the city, a statistic that offers little comfort to those who knew and loved him.

As of the latest available information, the investigation into the murder of David Wells is ongoing. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department continues to seek information from the public that could lead to an arrest. Authorities urge anyone with knowledge of the shooting, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. A reward may be available for information that helps solve the case. Tips can be submitted anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.