In the early morning hours, the quiet of a Berkeley neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. On December 4, 2022, in the 6600 block of Larry Lane, a violent encounter left one man dead and another wounded. When Berkeley police officers arrived at the scene around 2 a.m., they discovered a man who had sustained a gunshot wound to his leg.
He told the officers that he had been in a gunfight with another man inside a residence in the complex.
Inside the home, authorities found 26-year-old Monterio Smith, a resident of the complex, who had been fatally shot. Paramedics were called to the scene, but it was too late; Smith was pronounced dead from his injuries. The other man involved in the shootout was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his non-life-threatening leg wound.
The St. Louis County Police Department's Crimes Against Persons unit was called in to take the lead on the homicide investigation. At the time, they described the investigation as very active and urged anyone with information to come forward. To date, there have been no public announcements regarding any arrests or charges filed in connection with the death of Monterio Smith. The case remains an open investigation.
