On the evening of December 12, 2017, a violent incident unfolded at the New Way Market in St. Louis, Missouri. Mialik R. Donelson, a 25-year-old Black male, was inside the business located on the 5400 block of Page Boulevard when a confrontation occurred. At approximately 6:45 p.m., an assailant opened fire within the store, striking Donelson. He collapsed on the floor of the market before emergency responders arrived at the scene.
He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The shooting garnered significant local attention as it was recorded as the city's 200th homicide of that year.
Homicide detectives with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department immediately began investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. They obtained surveillance footage from inside the market which captured the events as they transpired. The video depicted the suspect, described as a heavyset teenager, and investigators determined that the victim and the shooter were acquainted with one another. This footage played a central role in the inquiry, allowing authorities to track down the individual responsible for the gunfire.
Months after the shooting, in May 2018, police arrested 17-year-old Tre'von Marble in connection with the case. Following his apprehension, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office formally charged the teenager with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. A judge subsequently ordered him to be held without bond as the case moved through the court system, with the surveillance evidence serving as a key component of the prosecution's case against him.
