In the early morning hours of March 22, 2021, tragedy struck in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood of St. Louis. Raymond Bonds, a 22-year-old male, was found lying outside a car on the 5600 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue, suffering from puncture wounds. Responding to a 'shot spotter' alert around 2:40 a.m., police arrived to find a chaotic and grim scene.
Before the severity of his injuries overcame him, Bonds was able to communicate briefly with the officers.
He told them that he had been shot by a man he did not know, a final, desperate clue in a puzzle that was just beginning to form. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was unable to provide any further description of his assailant or the circumstances that led to the violent encounter. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical and unstable condition. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Raymond Bonds succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's homicide division immediately took charge of the investigation into the deadly shooting. Authorities reached out to the public for assistance, urging anyone with information to contact the homicide division directly or to leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers. In the days and weeks that followed, the investigation into who shot Raymond Bonds and why remained active. However, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been announced in connection with the case, leaving a community to mourn and a family to wonder what happened in the final moments of the young man's life.
