In the early hours of an August morning in St. Louis, the life of Preston Stepney, a 40-year-old male, was brought to a violent and tragic end. On August 2, 2017, Stepney was in the College Hill neighborhood when gunfire erupted, shattering the pre-dawn quiet. He was not alone when the shooting occurred; another man was also struck by the hail of bullets in what was reported as a double shooting.
First responders arrived at the scene to find a grim tableau.
Stepney had sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. The second victim, whose identity was not publicly released, was also in critical condition and was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical treatment. The initial investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department treated the case as a homicide, and detectives began the arduous process of canvassing the area for witnesses and evidence.
In the days that followed, the investigation into Preston Stepney's murder continued, but details about a possible motive or any potential suspects were not forthcoming. The lack of publicly available information on any arrests or persons of interest suggests that the case grew cold. Despite the initial flurry of police activity and news reports, the trail of those responsible for the death of Preston Stepney appears to have gone cold, leaving his family and community without answers or a sense of justice for his untimely death.
Years have passed since the shooting, and there is no readily available information in online sources to indicate that an arrest has ever been made in connection with the murder. The case remains a somber and unresolved chapter in the city's history of gun violence, with the identity of the person or persons who shot and killed Preston Stepney still unknown to the public. The narrative of his death is one of sudden violence and lingering questions, a story that unfortunately lacks a final chapter of resolution and accountability.
