In the Walnut Park West neighborhood of St. Louis, a burst of gunfire on the afternoon of July 29, 2020, left a scene of chaos and tragedy. When the nonstop gunshots ceased, three young men lay dead, and two other individuals were wounded. One of the deceased was 18-year-old Daijon Nearing. The shooting, which occurred around 1:45 p.m. near Floy and West Florissant Avenue, was believed to be the result of a dispute between two rival groups.
Also killed in the exchange of fire were 22-year-old Malik Taylor and 18-year-old Elijah McKinney. A 17-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man were also shot but survived their injuries.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's homicide division immediately began an investigation into the deadly encounter. Their efforts led to a significant development in November 2020 with the arrest of 17-year-old Joshua Amerson. He faced a litany of charges, including one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon by shooting from a motor vehicle, and five counts of armed criminal action. Authorities alleged that Amerson was responsible for the deaths of Nearing, Taylor, and McKinney, as well as the injuries to the other two victims.
The legal path forward in the case against Joshua Amerson proved to be fraught with challenges. In a move to allow for more preparation time, prosecutors dismissed the charges in July 2022, a tactic that would allow them to refile at a later date. However, the case was dismissed again in June 2023, with the primary reason cited as a lack of cooperation from witnesses. Shortly after the dismissal of the murder charges, Amerson was arrested again, this time on drug trafficking charges after being found with a significant quantity of fentanyl.
