On the evening of April 4, 2022, 35-year-old Jessica Cotham was sitting in a parked vehicle in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Accompanied by a 53-year-old male companion who was in the driver’s seat, she was located near the intersection of Dover Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Around 7:45 p.m., the quiet scene was interrupted when a white Volkswagen Passat pulled up alongside their vehicle.
A man exited the Passat with his face concealed by a bandana and
brandished a firearm. Approaching the victims' car, the masked gunman opened the door and demanded money. Cotham and the driver complied with the robber’s demands, handing over their cash in hopes of de-escalating the situation. After taking the money, the suspect ordered the pair to drive away. However, as they attempted to leave, the gunman opened fire on the vehicle.
The gunfire struck Cotham in the neck and hit the driver in the arm. Despite their injuries, they were able to flee the immediate area, but the consequences of the shooting were severe. Both victims were rushed to a hospital where the male driver was treated for critical injuries. Cotham fought for her life for four days but ultimately succumbed to her wounds, passing away on April 8, 2022.
Police descriptions of the suspect have remained limited to the details provided by the survivors: a male assailant whose face was obscured by a bandana, operating a white Volkswagen Passat. As of the last available reports following the incident, no arrests had been made in connection with the robbery and homicide, and authorities had not publicly named any specific suspects beyond the description of the vehicle and the gunman.
