On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2019, a dispute at a north St. Louis gas station tragically escalated, resulting in the shooting death of 33-year-old Shawn Stewart, a Black male. The incident unfolded at the Love's gas station located at 6124 N. Broadway in the North Riverfront neighborhood.
The altercation began inside the convenience store when Stewart and another man, Marvin Humphrey, exchanged words over the time it was taking to make a purchase.
Surveillance footage from the trial later showed the two arguing at the counter. When Humphrey exited the store, he was met by Stewart outside, and a physical fight ensued. Defense attorneys for Humphrey stated that Stewart punched him at least a dozen times and kicked him after he had fallen to the ground.
During the altercation, Stewart's father attempted to intervene. As Humphrey got up from the ground, he drew a firearm and shot both Shawn Stewart and his father multiple times. When police arrived at approximately 1:21 p.m., they found both men unconscious. Shawn Stewart had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. His 56-year-old father was shot in the back but survived.
In January 2020, Marvin Humphrey, a 64-year-old military veteran from Florissant, was charged with first-degree murder, assault, and armed criminal action. Prosecutors argued that Humphrey was the aggressor who had ample opportunity to leave the scene without resorting to gunfire and alleged he shot Stewart in the head after the initial fight was over. However, Humphrey’s defense team argued that he acted in self-defense, stating that a man of his age had reason to fear for his life during a physical assault by a much younger man.
After a trial, a St. Louis jury acquitted Marvin Humphrey on all charges on September 21, 2022, accepting his claim of self-defense.
