On May 8, 2022, a Mother's Day celebration turned tragic in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Damon Hawkins, a 47-year-old male, was attending a gathering at the Minerva Place Apartment complex located in the 1300 block of Montclair Avenue. As families and friends celebrated on an outdoor patio, a dispute reportedly broke out between Hawkins and another man present at the event.
The argument moved to the parking lot where it escalated into violence.
The other individual involved, identified as 29-year-old Howard Mayes, produced a firearm and discharged it multiple times, striking Hawkins. Police officers arrived at the scene around 6:00 p.m. to find Hawkins lying in the lot, unresponsive and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. The shooting was recorded by surveillance cameras, though the footage did not clearly show the shooter's face due to his clothing.
Following the incident, Howard Mayes fled the scene but later surrendered to authorities. He was driven to the police headquarters by his mother, where he turned himself in for the shooting. In August 2024, Mayes appeared in court and entered a guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. A St. Louis Circuit Judge subsequently sentenced him to 15 years in prison for the murder charge and an additional three years for the armed criminal action, resulting in a total sentence of 18 years.
