Tyrice Spencer, 19, was shot outside a basketball game at Clyde C. Miller Career Academy in St. Louis on Monday, December 13, 2010. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated his death.
Few details of the shooting have been made public. The Washington Post's homicide database records the date as December 13, while a memorial website created by his family gives his date of death as December 15, 2010, which suggests that he may have survived for a short time after he was
shot. The accounts found do not say how many shots were fired, whether anyone else was hurt, or what led to the shooting.
No description of a suspect, a vehicle or a motive has been published, and no reward was found. A shooting outside a high school basketball game, where students, parents and fans gather, is the kind of event that many people would have witnessed or heard about.
Tyrice Spencer was born on August 16, 1991. He was a member of Resurrection Temple, a church led by the Rev. Kevin Anthony. His funeral, on Wednesday, December 22, 2010, drew a standing-room-only crowd that filled the balcony. The Rev. Starsky D. Wilson, writing in the St. Louis American, described it as a "bittersweet" sight that was "not what I wanted" for his sanctuary. His family created a memorial website in his name. A younger brother, Trevont'e Laray Spencer, died in April 2021 at 24; his obituary lists Tyrice among the relatives who died before him.
Clyde C. Miller Career Academy is a St. Louis public high school on North Grand Boulevard, near the city's Grand Center arts district and midtown. A basketball game on a school night would have drawn a crowd to the building and its parking areas.
His death came during a violent holiday season for young people in St. Louis. Days later, 17-year-old Ranisha Cole and 16-year-old Orlando Willis died after Christmas Day shootings at a venue called The Pulse, and on December 30 activists, clergy and youth held a town hall on violence called PASS THE MIC. St. Louis recorded 144 homicides in 2010, one of the highest per capita rates of any large American city.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Tyrice Spencer could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was at the basketball game at Clyde C. Miller that night, or who has heard classmates or friends talk about who fired the shots, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the school or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division at 314-444-5371, or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (866-371-8477).
