On the early morning of March 9, 2024, police officers in St. Louis, Missouri, responded to a call regarding a shooting in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood. Upon arriving at the scene near the intersection of Arco and South Newstead avenues, just north of The Grove entertainment district, authorities discovered a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. The man was found lying on the sidewalk and was quickly transported by paramedics to a local hospital.
Despite emergency medical efforts, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The victim was identified as 42-year-old Harris Kratzer, a resident of the area who lived nearby on the 4400 block of Gibson Avenue. During the investigation into the incident, officers proceeded to a residence on that same block of Gibson Avenue, where they discovered a second victim. Inside the home, a woman identified as Chelsea Lee Case was found deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators determined that both victims resided in the neighborhood where the violence occurred, though the specific events leading up to the shootings remained unclear in the immediate aftermath.
Harris Kratzer, known affectionately as 'Lil Harris' by friends and family, was originally from Kinder, Louisiana. He was described as a skilled carpenter and roofer who took pride in his work building homes. Reports from his obituary noted that he was a father to several children and was remembered for his willingness to help others and his love for the outdoors. The double homicide shook the local community, with law enforcement seeking to piece together the timeline that left two neighbors dead within a short distance of one another.
As of the last public updates following the incident, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department had not announced any arrests or identified any suspects in connection with the deaths of Kratzer and Case. The investigation remained active, with detectives urging anyone with information about the shootings to come forward. No charges had been filed, and the motive for the violence was not immediately established by authorities.
