KINLOCH, Mo. — Two men were charged with murder in connection with the shooting that left two people dead in Kinloch last weekend.
Arttavis Ferrell, 31, and Akeem Sims, 19, were charged with two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and multiple other crimes in connection with the Friday night shooting at a park.
Police from the Central County Precinct responded to the call of a shooting at about 6:26 p.m.
Officers who arrived at the scene were told the five victims took themselves to the hospital. Two were pronounced dead at the hospital. The other three men suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and all are out of the hospital.
In charging documents, police said there was a planned gathering at the park related to a local street gang. Ferrell and Sims found out about the gathering and drove to the park.
Witnesses said they saw the truck pull up before the shooting and leave after the shooting.
According to charging documents, one of the men injured in the shooting was Ferrell.
Police said they were able to track down the truck when Sims took Farrell to Cardinal Glennon Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the ankle.
Police said the truck was spotted driving to Cardinal Glennon Hospital, where Sims dropped off Ferrell.
When police discovered Sims and his mother owned the car, they applied for a search warrant and took Sims into custody.
Police said Sims admitted to driving Ferrell to the gathering and pointing out people at the park before Ferrell began shooting.
Police said Sims was out on bond for previous charges and was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet at the time of the crime. The GPS data put him in the area of the shooting at the time of the incident.
According to online court documents, Sims was charged with stealing a motor vehicle, tampering with a motor vehicle, second-degree assault and two counts of resisting arrest for two incidents in St. Louis County in 2019.
Ferrell and Sims were both taken into custody and are being held on $750,000 cash-only bonds.
The deceased were identified Saturday as Eddie Wilkerson, 38, of the 10600 block of Spring Garden in St. Louis, and Montrez Hughes, 18, of the 2600 block of Washington in St. Louis.