Tracy Bradford, a 37-year-old Black woman, was killed on the afternoon of September 24, 2022, when a family dispute in St. Charles, Missouri, turned violent. The incident took place at an apartment complex on Ameristar Boulevard where Ms. Bradford was helping her brother, 29-year-old Trae Spratt, gather his belongings. Spratt and his 32-year-old girlfriend, with whom he lived, were in the process of separating.
According to police, Spratt overheard his sister and his girlfriend talking
about him. In response, he produced a handgun and shot both women before fleeing the scene. Police were called to the apartment just after 3:30 p.m. and found Tracy Bradford deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. Spratt’s girlfriend had been shot in the face but was expected to survive. She had managed to lock herself in a bedroom with her two young sons, ages six and eight, who were present during the incident but were not physically harmed.
Later that day, Trae Spratt surrendered to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and was taken into custody by St. Charles police. The St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney's Office subsequently charged Spratt with first-degree murder, domestic assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and four counts of armed criminal action. He was held at the St. Charles County Department of Corrections on a $2 million, cash-only bond.
Trae Spratt was later convicted for the murder of Tracy Bradford and the shooting of his ex-girlfriend. He was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
