On the night of December 2, 2014, 63-year-old Diana M. Lawrence was enjoying an evening at Pooh’s Corner, a tavern located in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The establishment was known locally as a popular gathering spot for police officers. At approximately 10:55 p.m., the atmosphere was shattered when three armed men stormed into the bar, announcing a robbery and ordering the seven patrons and the bartender to get on the floor.
The situation escalated rapidly
into a chaotic shootout. One of the robbers fired a shot into the ceiling, prompting a customer—a 65-year-old retired St. Louis police officer with a concealed carry license—to reach for his own weapon. The intruders opened fire on the patron, striking him in the thigh. The retired officer returned fire, hitting one suspect in the eye and another in the shoulder. Amidst the exchange of gunfire, Diana Lawrence was struck in the head. She was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition but succumbed to her injuries the following day, December 3, 2014. Three other customers, including the retired officer, were wounded but survived.
Police investigations led to the arrest of two suspects: 20-year-old Derreaun Davis and 29-year-old Corey Wade. A third accomplice involved in the robbery remained at large. Authorities revealed that after fleeing the scene in a stolen vehicle, Davis had sought medical treatment for his gunshot wound at a hospital, claiming he had been shot elsewhere, but investigators linked him to the crime at Pooh's Corner.
In March 2016, both Davis and Wade pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, along with 31 other felonies including assault, armed criminal action, and attempted robbery, in exchange for prosecutors dropping first-degree murder charges. They were each sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. In 2018, Lawrence’s children reached a $450,000 settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the bar’s owners, alleging that the establishment had failed to provide adequate security.
