On January 16, 2020, authorities in St. Louis County, Missouri, began investigating the homicide of Albert Gant Jr., a 38-year-old male resident of the area. Police officers responded to a call at approximately 6:00 p.m. regarding a shooting in the suburb of Wellston. Upon arriving at a residence in the 1600 block of Vassier Avenue, near the Normandy High School campus, first responders discovered Gant inside the home.
He had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly identified a suspect in connection with the killing. Steve M. Ousley, a 31-year-old man, was taken into custody shortly after the incident. According to law enforcement officials, Ousley and Gant had been involved in a dispute at the same location on the previous day, Wednesday, January 15. The alteration reportedly escalated the following evening when Ousley returned to the residence. Police stated that during questioning, Ousley admitted to shooting Gant.
Following his arrest, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Steve M. Ousley with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. A judge subsequently ordered him held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. At the time of his death, Albert Gant Jr. was a father of six children, and the shooting marked a violent disruption in the small community of Wellston, though officials noted the incident posed no direct threat to the nearby school.
