On the evening of December 19, 2014, a violent sequence of events unfolded in St. Louis, culminating in the death of 28-year-old Terrell Beasley. The incident began when an off-duty city police officer was followed by a dark-colored sedan. As the officer exited his vehicle in the 3800 block of North 25th Street, the sedan pulled alongside, and shots were fired at him.
The officer, who was injured in the exchange, returned fire.
In the ensuing shootout, Terrell Beasley, a passenger in the sedan, was struck by the officer's gunfire. The driver of the sedan then fled the scene. Later that evening, firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in the 700 block of Thrush Avenue. After extinguishing the blaze, they discovered Beasley's body in the backseat. He had sustained two gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the shooting and Beasley's death led police to Dominic Irons, a 29-year-old man who had been released from prison on parole that very same day for a prior weapons charge. Authorities identified Irons as the driver of the sedan involved in the initial confrontation with the off-duty officer. It was determined that Irons and at least one other individual in the car had been targeting the officer.
Following the investigation, Dominic Irons was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Terrell Beasley's death. He also faced charges of first-degree assault for the shooting of the police officer, two counts of armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. At the time of his arrest, police indicated that they were still seeking at least one other person involved in the incident. Irons was held on a half-a-million dollars bond.
