A dispute over parenting tragically escalated into a fatal shooting on March 2, 2025, resulting in the death of Garry Smith, a 34-year-old male from the St. Louis, Missouri area. The violent encounter began with an argument at a nearby business that spilled out onto the streets of north St. Louis County.
Following the initial altercation, Smith was a passenger in a vehicle traveling near the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Dunn Road.
At approximately 7:36 p.m., a gray Genesis G70 sedan pulled alongside the car Smith was in, and multiple shots were fired from a rifle into the vehicle. Smith was struck and later pronounced deceased at an area hospital. The driver of the vehicle sustained serious, life-threatening injuries but was expected to survive. A third person was also injured in the incident, suffering non-life-threatening wounds.
The investigation, aided by witness statements and video surveillance footage, quickly led police to identify two suspects. Kelvin Allen, 39, and Orlando Taylor, 37, were arrested in connection with the homicide. Prosecutors for St. Louis County have since charged both men with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of armed criminal action. According to the charges, Allen was driving the Genesis while Taylor fired the rifle. Before the fatal shooting, it is alleged that Allen had fired a shot at the QuikTrip where the initial argument took place, injuring another man. Both Allen and Taylor are being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
