ST. LOUIS — An 18-year-old man was charged as an adult more than nine months after police said he fatally shot a man in downtown St. Louis.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced Wednesday that Alphonso Miller Jr. was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and participating in a criminal street gang. Miller was 17 when he was arrested for the April 2023 shooting.
Police said Miller shot Darrius Mullins, 30, of St. Louis, at North 7th and Market streets near Kiener Plaza. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mullins was a Kiener Plaza regular known to skateboard in the area. He was taking a break from skateboarding and was sitting on a bench when Miller walked up to him shot him after a verbal altercation, police said.
According to a probable cause statement, a family member told police the shooting was connected to an "ongoing armed conflict" between two gangs. Police said they were granted a search warrant for Miller's social media, which revealed information associating him with one of the gangs.
Miller was arrested the day after the shooting. Police said a search of his apartment uncovered a Glock 9mm handgun. A lab analysis later matched "test shots" fired from the gun with shell casings recovered from the shooting scene and bullets from Mullins' body.
Miller was being held without bond at the St. Louis City Justice Center.