On a June evening in 2008, 34-year-old Demond Taylor, a male police officer for St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, was shot and killed. He was off-duty and in his personal vehicle at a stoplight on Page Boulevard when the incident occurred. For nearly two decades, the case remained unsolved, leaving his family waiting for answers.
The investigation into Taylor's death was a long and arduous one, spanning 17 years. Detectives with the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department pursued numerous leads and re-examined evidence over the years. A significant breakthrough in the cold case came recently when a third eyewitness came forward. This testimony, corroborating information from two other witnesses who had spoken to the police in 2018, pointed to the same suspect. The investigation revealed that the shooting was a tragic case of mistaken identity, with the gunman believing Taylor was a rival gang member.
In August 2025, a 46-year-old man named Brandon M. Levy was arrested in connection with the 17-year-old murder. Levy, who was 29 at the time of the shooting, was charged with first-degree murder. The arrest brought a sense of relief to Taylor's family, who learned of the charges just a day before what would have been his 52nd birthday. Though no other individuals have been charged, police have indicated that the investigation is still active. Court records show that Levy was later released on bond.
