In the early morning hours of May 8, 2009, the streets of St. Louis near Union Station became the scene of a shocking act of violence that claimed the lives of three men, including 27-year-old Dawon Moore. Moore, along with Byron Blassingame, also 27, and 32-year-old Allen Jones, were inside an SUV stopped at a traffic signal when another vehicle pulled alongside them.
Without warning, gunmen opened fire on the stationary vehicle, ending the lives of all three occupants in a hail of bullets.
The brazen nature of the attack sent ripples of concern through the community and prompted an intensive investigation. As law enforcement delved into the backgrounds of the victims, a complex picture began to emerge. Court documents later revealed that both Dawon Moore and Byron Blassingame had been persons of interest in a joint police-FBI investigation into a street gang known as the BAD Bloods, named for the streets in their Walnut Park neighborhood turf—Beacon, Alcott, and Davison. Investigators believed the gang was involved in the sale of crack cocaine and other illicit drugs.
All three victims of the shooting were known to law enforcement. Moore had a criminal record that included convictions for drug, weapon, and forgery offenses. Blassingame had a misdemeanor drug possession charge for which he had served probation, while Jones had prior convictions for drug and weapons charges. A significant detail that surfaced was that just a day before his murder, a federal indictment had been sealed against Moore on four felony counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, a fact he may not have been aware of. In the weeks leading up to their deaths, both Moore and Blassingame had reportedly been seen with assault rifles.
Despite these connections to criminal activity, Moore's mother, Beverly Moore, voiced her belief that her son's death was not a random act of gang violence but a targeted assassination. She claimed that a $25,000 contract had been put out on her son's life and that she believed the police were aware of the identities of both the shooter and the individual who had ordered the killing. While she was skeptical about the extent of her son's alleged involvement in drug and gang activities, the investigation following the triple homicide spurred a series of raids on homes, resulting in the seizure of weapons and drugs and leading to the arrests and convictions of other individuals associated with the gang. The specific individuals responsible for the deaths of Dawon Moore, Byron Blassingame, and Allen Jones, however, have not been publicly identified, and information regarding any arrests or suspects directly linked to the murders remains elusive.
