In a tragic and violent episode that unfolded on a Sunday in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood, 18-year-old Deanna Williams lost her life. The incident, which occurred on June 18, 2017, involved a total of five people being shot.
Events began to unfold around noon on the 1900 block of North 14th Street. Initially, police were called to an apartment building where they found two women who had been shot.
While investigating this initial shooting, officers heard more gunshots coming from an adjacent apartment building. This led to a standoff situation as police attempted to make contact with the individual inside the second building. When hostage negotiators were unable to get a response, officers eventually entered the residence.
Inside the second apartment, a grim scene awaited them. They discovered three more shooting victims. Deanna Williams and a man identified as 41-year-old Marlo Boyd were pronounced dead at the scene. Another woman was found injured and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Subsequent investigations by the St. Louis Police led them to believe that Marlo Boyd was the gunman responsible for the entire incident. It is believed that Boyd shot four women, killing Deanna Williams, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. While police believe the victims and the suspect knew each other, the motive for the deadly rampage remains unclear. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the violence is ongoing.
