On the afternoon of October 2, 2018, police in St. Louis, Missouri, were called to the Benton Park neighborhood following reports of gunfire. Officers arrived at the 1900 block of Congress Street shortly before 6:00 p.m., where they discovered a male victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The man, identified as 38-year-old Richard MacDonald, was found lying in the street.
Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
Richard MacDonald was a resident of the area and was well-known within the local arts and graffiti community, where he operated under the moniker 'OBCES' or 'Obses.' Friends and family remembered him as a generous figure who had a significant impact on those around him. In the days following his death, a memorial service was organized to honor his life, and members of the community created tributes to his memory.
Homicide detectives launched an investigation into the shooting immediately after the discovery of the body. Authorities canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses and evidence, but information regarding a motive or potential assailants was scarce in the initial stages of the inquiry. Despite the efforts of law enforcement to follow leads, public records and media reports from the years following the incident do not indicate that any suspects were publicly named or that any arrests were made in connection with MacDonald's murder. The case remains one of the many investigations undertaken by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department during a violent period in the city's history.
