In the late hours of a Sunday night in St. Louis, tragedy befell 27-year-old Mikell Rayford. On March 30, 2025, inside an apartment at the James House Apartments on St. Ferdinand Avenue, gunshots shattered the quiet. When police responded to the call just before midnight, they discovered Rayford with a gunshot wound to his torso. Emergency medical services arrived at the scene, but his injury was too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The male victim's life was cut short in The Ville neighborhood, prompting a homicide investigation into the violent encounter.
In the weeks that followed the shooting, detectives with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department worked the case. Their investigation led them to a suspect, and on April 23, 2025, an arrest was made. Authorities took 44-year-old Johnny Hayes Jr. into custody in connection with Rayford's death. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office subsequently filed serious charges against Hayes.
Following his arrest, Johnny Hayes Jr. was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The charges suggest a belief by prosecutors that the killing was intentional and involved the use of a deadly weapon. The specifics of what led to the fatal shooting inside the apartment have not been fully disclosed as the case proceeds through the legal system.
