La’Tatia Stewart, a 56-year-old female resident of Cahokia Heights, was tragically killed on the evening of Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in a downtown St. Louis parking garage. Stewart, an employee at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel, was walking to her car in the hotel's garage after her shift when she was shot. She was discovered behind her vehicle with gunshot wounds to her chest and side and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her death was part of a string of violence that occurred in
the same location. The following day, two men were also shot and injured in the same parking garage, prompting an intense investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The proximity and similarity of the incidents led investigators to believe the attacks were connected, though they did not initially appear to be targeted.
Days later, police arrested a suspect, 35-year-old Deshawn King Wilson, after a brief foot chase in downtown St. Louis. During the pursuit, Wilson reportedly threw a gun onto the roof of a building, which was later recovered by law enforcement. Wilson, who was experiencing homelessness and reportedly used the garage for shelter, was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with La’Tatia Stewart’s death. He also faced charges of assault and armed criminal action for the shooting that injured the two men the following day.
The tragedy of Stewart's death was compounded by the fact that she was a vocal advocate for justice in the unsolved murder of her own son, Gregory Stewart, who was killed in 2020. She had been actively working with organizations and the community to bring attention to his case. While her family initially questioned if her activism made her a target, police have stated that they do not believe her murder was connected to her advocacy work.
