In the early hours of August 7, 2020, Keena Dyson, a 35-year-old Black / African American man from East St. Louis, Illinois, was shot and killed in St. Louis, Missouri. The fatal incident occurred shortly after 1 a.m. in the parking lot of a BP gas station located on East Grand Boulevard in the Near North Riverfront neighborhood. Dyson sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers from the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department discovered a car riddled with bullet holes. The investigation that followed revealed a chaotic scene, with evidence markers numbering over 40 scattered across the parking lot, indicating a significant number of shots had been fired. The violence was not contained to the exterior of the gas station, as evidence showed that gunfire had also occurred inside the establishment. This tragic event marked the 160th homicide in the city for that year.
The gas station where the shooting took place had been the location of other recent acts of violence in the month leading up to Dyson's death. These prior incidents included another shooting that left a man in serious condition and an instance where shots were fired into a crowd from a passing vehicle, injuring a woman.
In the wake of Keena Dyson's death, an investigation led to the arrest of a suspect. Lidell Yates, a 28-year-old man, was subsequently charged with the murder. Reports indicated that Yates had allegedly boasted about his involvement in the killing, which ultimately led law enforcement to him.
