On the evening of January 8, 2009, in the North City area of St. Louis, Missouri, a 42-year-old African American male named Terry L. Darris became the city's first homicide victim of the year. A resident of Florissant and a dedicated employee of the U.S. Postal Service for over two decades, Darris was also known as the president of the Ghost Doggs Motorcycle Club. Around 8:00 p.m., while visiting the 2900 block of Lotus Avenue, he heard the distinct sound of his car alarm blaring.
Darris exited the residence to investigate the disturbance and discovered individuals near his vehicle, presumably attempting to break into it or other cars in the vicinity. Upon confronting the group, the situation escalated rapidly. Darris was shot twice in the back during the encounter. Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots followed by the screeching tires of a vehicle speeding away from the scene. Darris was transported to a local hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.
The suspects were described by witnesses as three Black males driving a black two-door automobile. Investigators at the time believed the perpetrators were targeting vehicles in the neighborhood for theft when interrupted by Darris. Following the shooting, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department appealed to the public for information, asking anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact Crimestoppers.
Despite the formation of a new Violent Offenders Unit by the police department shortly after the incident, aimed at aggressively pursuing dangerous criminals, no immediate arrests were reported in connection with Darris's death. Years later, local crime trackers and news outlets continued to list the case as an open homicide, with police periodically renewing calls for leads to bring closure to the unsolved murder.
