On December 21, 2022, a violent confrontation unfolded at a Speedie Gas Station in the Baden neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, claiming the life of 19-year-old Darius Jackson. The sequence of events began earlier that evening when a Hyundai Tucson was stolen from a residence in St. Louis County. The owner of the vehicle, Demesha Coleman, utilized a GPS tracking feature to locate her SUV. Instead of waiting for law enforcement to intervene, she decided to retrieve the vehicle herself.
Accompanied by her teenage son and another armed individual, Coleman traveled to the gas station at 8880 North Broadway where the stolen car had been parked.
Upon their arrival at the scene around 10:30 p.m., Coleman and her armed accomplice approached the Hyundai, which was occupied by four people, including Jackson. Surveillance footage later reviewed by investigators showed Coleman opening the passenger door of the vehicle with a weapon raised, while the second man approached the driver's side. A chaotic gun battle ensued between the parties. During the exchange of gunfire, Darius Jackson, who was a passenger in the stolen SUV, sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the torso and died at the scene. The violence also claimed the life of 49-year-old Joseph Farrar, an innocent bystander who was filling his car at a nearby pump, and left another man critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head.
Following the shooting, Demesha Coleman was arrested and initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of assault, and three counts of armed criminal action. During her trial, her defense team argued that she had acted in self-defense, claiming she only fired after a passenger in the stolen vehicle pointed a gun at her. In March 2024, a jury acquitted Coleman of the charges related to the death of the bystander, Joseph Farrar, but found her guilty of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for the death of Jackson. In May 2025, she was sentenced to 13 years in prison for her role in the deadly vigilante pursuit.
