On the evening of Friday, March 3, 2017, 45-year-old Howard Griffin Jr., a male resident of the St. Louis area, became the victim of a fatal shooting in Kinloch, Missouri. The incident occurred in the 8300 block of Oakridge Avenue, a residential section of the historic St. Louis County municipality. At approximately 9:00 p.m., local Kinloch officers were dispatched to the scene following reports of gunfire.
upon their arrival, they discovered Griffin lying wounded with multiple gunshot injuries.
The St. Louis County Police Department was requested to assist the local authorities around 10:30 p.m. that same night, taking the lead on the homicide inquiry through their Crimes Against Persons division. Despite the immediate response of law enforcement and the discovery of the victim, Griffin succumbed to his injuries. The police processed the scene for evidence, but initial reports did not indicate the immediate apprehension of any shooters or the identification of a motive for the violence.
In the wake of the shooting, investigators appealed to the public for leads, urging anyone with knowledge of the events leading up to Griffin’s death to contact the St. Louis County police. Public records and reporting from the time did not announce any subsequent arrests or the naming of specific suspects in connection with the case, leaving the investigation open as detectives sought to piece together the circumstances that ended Howard Griffin Jr.'s life on that March night.
