In the early morning hours of December 22, 2017, the quiet of the Fairgrounds neighborhood in North St. Louis, Missouri, was shattered by a violent home invasion that claimed the lives of three young Black women. Among the victims was 24-year-old Dominique Lewis, an aspiring English teacher who was working to put herself through college and was just weeks away from her twenty-fifth birthday.
She had been spending time at a residence in the 4200 block of John Avenue with her close friends, 25-year-old Reeba Moore and 24-year-old Chanice White, when the sanctity of the home was breached around 3:00 a.m.
As intruders forced their way into the house, panic ensued. Dominique, her two friends, and a male occupant attempted to flee the residence to escape the danger. The three women made their way to a blue Buick LeSabre parked outside, hoping to drive away to safety. However, before they could escape, the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle with different caliber weapons. Dominique and her friends were struck by the gunfire and tragically died at the scene, huddled together inside the car. The male occupant who had been with them managed to run from the house and escaped the ambush physically unharmed.
Despite the brutality of the attack and the passage of several years, justice has remained elusive for Dominique Lewis and the other victims. Initial police reports described the suspects only as two men wearing dark clothing who fled the scene after the shooting. Investigators found multiple shell casings near the vehicle, but the leads did not result in immediate apprehensions. As of late 2024, the case remained unsolved, with no arrests made and no specific suspects publicly named or charged in connection with the triple homicide. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has continued to seek information from the public, but the individuals responsible for cutting Dominique’s life short have yet to face trial or conviction.
