On January 29, 2018, 27-year-old African American male Ollie Coleman was killed in a violent double shooting in the Grove neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The incident occurred in the early morning hours, shortly after 1:00 a.m., outside the ShiSha Restaurant and Lounge located at 4229 Manchester Avenue. Police officers responding to reports of gunfire arrived at the scene to find Coleman deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. A second victim, identified only as a 31-year-old woman, was also struck by gunfire in the leg during the chaos; she was transported to a local hospital where she was listed in serious but stable condition.
Homicide detectives launched an investigation that relied heavily on surveillance footage captured from the establishment. The video evidence revealed a maroon Chrysler 300 with tinted windows, chrome wheels, and a missing front license plate arriving at the venue. Four African American male suspects were observed exiting the vehicle and entering the lounge. The footage provided specific descriptions of the group: one man was dressed in a black jogging suit featuring white logos, while another wore camouflage pants and a hoodie adorned with a graphic of a stuffed bear, along with dreadlocks and a visible hand tattoo. A third suspect was seen wearing an Adidas jacket and a stocking cap, and the fourth individual, also with dreadlocks, wore a Nike Air hoodie and carried a messenger bag.
Despite the detailed video evidence released to the public in hopes of generating leads, the path to a conviction proved difficult. Authorities eventually identified and charged a suspect in connection with Coleman's murder. However, in October 2021, a St. Louis jury acquitted the man of the charges related to the deadly shooting outside the Grove district lounge. Following the acquittal, reports emerged that the same individual was subsequently facing federal charges related to drug trafficking, though no one has been criminally convicted for the death of Ollie Coleman.
