On a summer evening in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 13, 2020, 20-year-old Arie Bagsby was shot and killed alongside his longtime friend, Omar Harris, who was 21. The two young men were found inside a car riddled with bullets in front of a church near the intersection of North Grand and Lindell Boulevards, in the vicinity of Saint Louis University. The shooting was believed to be a tragic case of mistaken identity.
At the time of the incident, former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens was nearby and heard the barrage of 15 to 25 gunshots. He, along with a former St. Louis fire captain, rushed to the scene to render aid to the victims. Friends and family described Bagsby as a 'good kid' who was a full-time college student and also worked for DoorDash. According to Harris's father, neither of the young men were involved in street life, making their deaths even more senseless to the community.
More than a year after the killings, in August 2021, an arrest was made. Police connected 19-year-old Deshaun Ewing to the deaths of Bagsby and Harris. In April 2024, Dashaun Ewing, then 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the killings. As part of a plea agreement, Ewing was sentenced to serve a 20-year sentence for their deaths.
Further investigation revealed the shooting was connected to gang violence. Federal court documents indicated that Travis Santel Jones, an alleged member of the Cochran Crips gang, was involved in the murders. Prosecutors stated that Jones and other gang members were seeking retaliation against a rival gang and mistakenly identified Bagsby and Harris as their targets. Jones was later indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including murder in aid of racketeering.
