In the late hours of November 8, 2025, a tragic event unfolded in the Dutchtown neighborhood of St. Louis that claimed the life of 22-year-old Brayan Aparicio. He was seated in a silver Toyota sedan with his girlfriend in the 3600 block of Dunnica Avenue when the night was shattered by the sound of gunfire just before 11:30 p.m. In the immediate aftermath, Aparicio told his girlfriend that he had been shot.
Reacting quickly, his uninjured girlfriend drove from the scene in a desperate
search for help, stopping at a convenience store at the intersection of South Grand Boulevard and Meramec Street to call 911. When officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department arrived, they found Aparicio in the passenger seat, unconscious and not breathing. Emergency medical services rushed him to a local hospital, but his wounds proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the homicide was swiftly taken over by homicide detectives. Their work led them to identify two suspects, 20-year-old Solomon Rasas and 19-year-old Kavion Couch. The breakthrough in the case came from MetroBus surveillance footage that captured the suspects traveling to the scene of the crime. Further evidence from their cell phone geolocation data corroborated their presence at the location of the shooting. Surveillance video also reportedly showed the two running towards the vehicle just before the shooting and fleeing immediately after.
Following the investigation, both Solomon Rasas and Kavion Couch were taken into custody. Prosecutors have since charged both men with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. In addition to these charges, Rasas faces a charge of resisting arrest for allegedly attempting to flee from police on foot. Both suspects are being held at the St. Louis City Justice Center without bond.
