On the night of May 5, 2023, amidst the vibrant Cinco de Mayo celebrations on Cherokee Street in St. Louis, a burst of gunfire shattered the festive atmosphere, leaving two men dead and two other individuals wounded. One of the men who lost his life was 44-year-old Eric Taylor.
The shooting occurred at the Exotic Bar and Grill. When police arrived at the scene around 10 p.m., they discovered a 34-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to his thigh and elbow.
He was transported to a hospital in serious but stable condition. Authorities were then informed that two other gunshot victims, Eric Taylor and 25-year-old Rayon Caffey, had already been taken to a hospital by private vehicle. Both Taylor and Caffey were pronounced dead upon arrival. A fourth victim, a 24-year-old woman, was grazed by a bullet in the foot.
In the days following the shooting, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Division launched an investigation into the deadly incident. While an arrest was made in a separate shooting that occurred on Cherokee Street during the same weekend's festivities, initial reports did not immediately link that suspect to the deaths of Taylor and Caffey. A man named Darion Benton was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with a shooting that wounded a man and a woman. Another woman who had been taken into custody was later released without charges.
The investigation into the murders of Eric Taylor and Rayon Caffey is ongoing. As of the latest available information, no arrests directly linked to their deaths have been publicly announced. Authorities have continued to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for this tragic loss of life during a community celebration.
