In the early hours of a summer morning in North St. Louis, tragedy struck a gas station near Union and Paulian. On June 3, 2017, just after 1 a.m., 17-year-old Jalen Woods was inside a car when two masked men approached and unleashed a hail of gunfire. The sudden violence of the attack left Jalen and another occupant of the vehicle, 25-year-old Amber Green, with fatal injuries. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, their lives abruptly ended in a senseless act.
The shooting also left two other individuals nearby in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds, casting a dark shadow over the community.
The investigation into the quadruple shooting moved swiftly, leading authorities to two suspects. Ollie L. Lynch, a 25-year-old man, and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Makala R. Mayo, were apprehended after their attempt to flee the scene was thwarted when their vehicle struck an air dispenser. Lynch was subsequently charged with a litany of offenses, including two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Jalen Woods and Amber Green, three counts of first-degree assault, and multiple counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He was held without bond as the legal process began to unfold.
As the case progressed through the justice system, new developments emerged. Makala R. Mayo admitted her role as an accomplice in the tragic shooting. In a plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Amber Green's death. This plea resulted in the dismissal of 15 other charges against her, including first-degree murder, and she was sentenced to nine years in prison. The case against Ollie L. Lynch proceeded to trial, where he faced charges for the deaths of Woods and Green, as well as for the murder of another man in a separate incident. In a surprising turn of events, a jury acquitted Lynch of the charges related to the deaths of Jalen Woods and Amber Green. However, he was convicted of first-degree murder for the other killing and was expected to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
