A bystander in St. Louis, Missouri, captured the chilling moment a man casually shot another man in the head, killing him, on cellphone video.
A suspect was later apprehended by police.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. on Monday.
Investigators believe the homeless man and the killer had an altercation before the shooting at a Shell gas station on North Tucker Blvd. and Convention Plaza. The victim was later identified as David Saldana, who they believe was a homeless man.
According to court documents, the man first shot Saldana in the back as he fled. The killer can then be seen reloading his gun and calmly shooting the victim in the head as Saldana begged for his life, according to police.
Police arrested 23-year-old Deshawn Thomas about six blocks away from the murder scene as he walked into the St. Louis Public Library. He was arrested without bond and charged with first-degree murder.
The disturbing cellphone video of the murder went viral on social media, garnering millions of views. According to police, the shooting was also captured on surveillance cameras near the scene.
According to Brad Waldrop, a downtown St. Louis business owner, there have been numerous violent crimes at the Shell gas station in the past.
“”That comes as no surprise to me,” Waldrop said. “There’s been 20 shootings at the shell station since 2019, and there’s been 600 calls for service. It should have been shut down long ago.”
Marcus Powell, who lives a few blocks away from the crime scene, spoke with KTVI-TV about the shooting.
“It’s terrifying, I don’t know, it makes me worried about what’s going on in the world.
The disturbing cellphone video of the murder went viral on social media, garnering millions of views. According to police, the shooting was also captured on surveillance cameras near the scene.
