David Leroy Smith Jr., a 40-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of August 12, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri. The incident occurred at the Sweet Timez nightclub located at 5166 Martin Luther King Drive in the city's Academy neighborhood, near Wellston. Smith, who was known to friends and family as '9 Lil Dave,' was a resident of the 7500 block of Balfour Drive in Hanley Hills prior to his untimely death.
The violence erupted just before 3:00 a.m.
when a dispute, described by a witness as a 'beef' where individuals 'wanted to have this person dead,' began inside the venue. The altercation started near the front door of the club, which was hosting an event that included birthday celebrations. As the situation escalated, a witness reportedly went to the DJ stand to use the microphone in an attempt to clear the building. Moments later, gunfire broke out inside the establishment.
Smith was struck multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting spilled out onto the street as patrons fled the chaos, with reports indicating that multiple individuals retrieved firearms from their vehicles. Three other men were injured during the melee and were transported to local hospitals for treatment. At the time of the initial investigation, St. Louis police had not released a description of any suspects, and no arrests were immediately reported in connection with the homicide.
