In the early afternoon of March 18, 2015, a violent scene unfolded on the busy lanes of Interstate 44 in St. Louis, Missouri, culminating in the death of 21-year-old Derrick Roberts. A rolling gun battle erupted along the highway, shattering the midday calm and leaving two young men dead. The chaos of the shootout ended with a white Dodge Charger coming to a stop in the LaSalle Park neighborhood.
Inside and just outside the vehicle, police would discover the bodies of Derrick Roberts and another 21-year-old man, DeJuan Etheridge. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting drew a significant police presence, with investigators recovering approximately 30 shell casings from the westbound exit ramp of I-44 to Hampton Avenue. The investigation into the double homicide quickly uncovered details suggesting a possible motive. Inside the Dodge Charger where Roberts and Etheridge were found, police discovered a quantity of cash and heroin, leading them to believe the incident may have been drug-related. An off-duty police officer had witnessed the gun battle and was able to provide an initial report, having followed the involved vehicles from a safe distance.
In the initial stages of their investigation, authorities believed a third individual may have been in the Dodge Charger with Roberts and Etheridge and had possibly fled the scene after the vehicle came to a stop. Furthermore, police were actively searching for a second vehicle involved in the exchange of gunfire, described only as a dark-colored sedan. Despite the public nature of the incident and the initial leads, the investigation into the deaths of Derrick Roberts and DeJuan Etheridge has not led to any publicly announced arrests or the naming of any suspects in the years that have followed. The case, born from a brazen act of violence on a St. Louis interstate, appears to have gone cold, leaving the question of who was responsible for the young men's deaths unanswered.
