On Saturday, August 18, 2018, tragedy struck in St. Louis, Missouri, when Armond Latimore, a 17-year-old Black male, was shot and killed outside a local restaurant. The incident occurred in the 3100 block of North Grand Boulevard near Sullivan Avenue. Latimore had just celebrated a personal milestone that very morning, taking to social media to express his gratitude for surviving the challenges of his environment to reach his seventeenth birthday.
His Facebook post, written roughly an hour before his death, read, 'Thru all the I den been thru I’m just glad I can say I made it to see 17.'
The shooting took place around 1:00 p.m. outside Bing Lau, a chop suey restaurant where Latimore had gone to pick up food. His mother, Chandra Payne, had briefly separated from him to visit a nearby grocery store to buy ice cream to accompany his birthday cake. In an interview, Payne recalled that she had only been gone for a few minutes when she received the devastating call. Upon arriving at the scene, witnesses described a chaotic aftermath where bystanders attempted to aid the teenager, who had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
In the wake of the homicide, homicide detectives from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department launched an investigation. Police identified a vehicle of interest believed to be connected to the shooting: a maroon 2009 Pontiac G8. The sedan had been reported stolen during a carjacking earlier that month. Days after the murder, the vehicle was discovered engulfed in flames near Spanish Lake Park in St. Louis County, a common tactic used to destroy evidence.
Despite the recovery of the vehicle and the public nature of the crime, no immediate arrests were made following the incident. Investigators appealed to the public for information, urging anyone with knowledge of the shooter or the vehicle to contact CrimeStoppers. While rumors circulated regarding photos on Latimore's social media showing him with cash and what appeared to be a firearm, his mother firmly defended his character, stating the money did not belong to him and that he did not own a gun. She described him as a helpful 'helping-hand child' who did odd jobs like cutting grass and selling water. At the time of the reports, the case remained open with no suspects in custody.
