A White male named Nichalaus Kaznoch was the victim of a fatal shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of May 23, 2023, in Saint Louis, Missouri. The 39-year-old was discovered in the common hallway of the Toronto Apartments located on West Pine Boulevard in the Central West End neighborhood, where he resided. Around 12:20 a.m., residents reported hearing gunshots, and a witness who entered the hallway found Kaznoch suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Before succumbing to his injuries at a local hospital, Kaznoch was able to communicate with the witness, identifying that the person who shot him lived in a nearby unit within the same complex.
Investigators utilized surveillance footage from the apartment building, which captured a man running away from the scene shortly after the shooting. Police identified the individual as 23-year-old Kevin Smallwood, a fellow resident of the Toronto Apartments. Authorities located Smallwood in a different unit within the same building and took him into custody. During the investigation, officers recovered a backpack containing a firearm with blood on the barrel and a substance suspected to be heroin.
Following the arrest, prosecutors charged Smallwood with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Kaznoch's death. The court denied bail for the suspect as legal proceedings commenced. The incident left the local community shaken, particularly within the residential complex where both the victim and the alleged perpetrator lived as neighbors.
