On the evening of August 14, 2021, a violent confrontation occurred at a residence in the 200 block of Meadowcrest Drive in the Forestwood neighborhood of Ferguson, Missouri. Police officers were dispatched to the scene around 7:05 p.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered two women suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the victims was identified as 29-year-old Shaunta Johnson, a Black/African American female from St. Louis.
The second victim was identified as 27-year-old Mya Ward. Both women succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead.
According to investigators, the incident began as a domestic dispute when Shaunta Johnson arrived at the home to confront the homeowner. As the argument escalated, two other women arrived at the scene, joining the altercation. Witnesses and police reports indicate that during the disturbance, one of the women brandished a handgun. A male relative of the homeowner attempted to intervene in the dispute but was assaulted by one of the women. The confrontation then moved into the basement of the residence.
In the basement, the male relative retrieved his own firearm and fired at the woman who was waving the handgun. The gunfire struck both Shaunta Johnson and Mya Ward, resulting in their deaths. Following the shooting, the male relative fled the scene in a black Cadillac. Ferguson police launched a search for the suspect, who was subsequently taken into custody on the following Tuesday. Authorities stated that the man was a relative of the homeowner who had been assaulted during the initial confrontation. While he was arrested, his name was not immediately released to the public pending the filing of formal charges, as investigators worked to determine if the shooting was an act of self-defense given the presence of a weapon among the women.
