Gerald Alfred

A dispute that began with a shove inside a St. Louis gas station ended in gunfire, taking the life of a 28-year-old father and leaving his family with unanswered questions after the case against his alleged killer was dismissed. Gerald Alfred, a Black male known to loved ones as "Big Boi," was a father to four children. On a memorial page, his sister and others remember him with love, leaving messages like "i love him always have always will" and "You are not forgotten!" One poignant note reads, "Your daughters are now 11 & 8, we miss you so much." His life was violently cut short on the evening of Wednesday, October 18, 2017.

The fatal encounter unfolded at a Shell gas station in the city. Gerald was with another man, Emmanuel Wesseh, when they became involved in an altercation with a third individual, 22-year-old Shannon Taylor. According to court documents filed later, the argument escalated when Wesseh shoved Taylor. In response, Taylor allegedly pulled out a gun and opened fire, shooting both Wesseh and Gerald. Both men were struck by the gunfire. While Wesseh was wounded in the assault, Gerald’s injuries were catastrophic. He died from the shooting, his life ending amidst the everyday bustle of a gas station.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene and launched a homicide investigation. Detectives quickly identified Shannon Taylor as the suspected shooter. Following his arrest, Taylor claimed to police that he had fired his weapon because Wesseh had brandished a gun first. However, investigators obtained surveillance video from the Shell station that directly contradicted Taylor's account of the events. The footage reportedly showed that at the moment of the shooting, both Gerald Alfred and Emmanuel Wesseh had their hands empty.

Based on the evidence, including the video footage, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office charged Shannon Taylor with second-degree murder for Gerald Alfred's death and first-degree assault for the wounding of Emmanuel Wesseh. Taylor also faced two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the incident. The case appeared to be moving forward, and Taylor was scheduled to stand trial for the killing in the fall of 2019. For Gerald's family, it seemed that justice was within reach.

However, in a stunning and painful turn of events, prosecutors dismissed all charges against Shannon Taylor just as his trial was set to begin in October 2019. The decision was reportedly made due to a lack of conclusive evidence and inconsistencies that emerged in witness accounts of the altercation. A spokeswoman for the Circuit Attorney's office did not provide an immediate comment on the specifics of the dismissal at the time. Taylor's defense attorney also declined to comment on the development.

The dismissal of the charges left the homicide of Gerald Alfred legally unresolved. No one has been held accountable for his death, and the case is no longer active in the court system. For his children, sister, and all who loved him, the lack of a conviction brought a devastating end to a painful two-year wait for justice. As of October 2019, the case stands as a closed chapter in the legal system, but an open wound for a family still grieving the loss of a man they remember with deep affection.