The first homicide of 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri, claimed the life of 22-year-old Demont Coleman. On the morning of January 4, 2021, police officers responded to a call regarding a shooting in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. Authorities discovered the male victim suffering from gunshot wounds in the 3900 block of Lexington Avenue, a short distance from where the incident originated near the 3800 block of Ashland Avenue.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined that the shooting occurred at a residence near Fairground Park. According to court documents, Coleman had gone to the home and began banging on the front door. Inside the residence was his former girlfriend and her current boyfriend, Tishawn Washington. Washington fired multiple shots through the closed door, striking Coleman. Following the gunfire, the victim attempted to flee the scene but collapsed nearby due to his injuries.
Washington, who was 18 years old at the time of the shooting, fled the state to evade capture. He remained a fugitive for several months until the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested him in Harris County, Texas, in June 2021. He was subsequently extradited back to Missouri to face charges related to the killing.
Initially charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon, Washington’s case concluded with a plea agreement more than two years later. In August 2023, the now 21-year-old suspect appeared in St. Louis Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. As part of the negotiation, prosecutors dismissed the additional weapons charges. A judge sentenced Washington to ten years in prison for his role in Coleman's death.
