FLORISSANT, Mo. — A woman was charged Monday after police said she fatally shot a man the day before outside a Florissant hotel where they both lived.
St. Louis County prosecutors charged Lateara Martin, 35, with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Each charge is a felony.
According to the Florissant Police Department, the shooting happened at about 11 a.m. Sunday on the Quality Inn parking lot in Florissant.
According to a probable cause statement from Florissant police, on April 6, she pulled out a gun and threatened the victim, identified as Dedrick Price, while they were both standing on the elevator together. The reason why she threatened him remained unclear.
The next day, Price was parked outside the hotel when Martin came outside with her gun in her hand. She fired a gunshot into the air as she walked up toward him, police said. Price put up his hands and began to back away.
Police said Martin continued to walk toward him and shot him in the head. She then went back to her hotel room where officers later found and arrested her.
Surveillance video from two separate cameras nearby captured the incident in addition to an eyewitness. Police later found the same clothing inside her room that was seen in the video of the shooting. They also found a magazine matching the caliber of the casings left at the crime scene.
Martin remained at the St. Louis County Justice Center without bond.
Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
Cure Violence is an international organization that is present in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods.
