ST. LOUIS — A man was charged in connection with a deadly shooting last month in St. Louis' Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood.
St. Louis police said they were called to a shooting at about 12:30 a.m. on June 28 near the intersection of North Grand Boulevard and Montgomery Street. When officers arrived at the scene, they found 29-year-old Fletcher Coats of St. Louis unresponsive in an alley.
Coats was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
According to charging documents, a witness recalled hearing a gunshot and then seeing a person running away from the crime scene in a silver SUV. Police were able to track down the car to a gas station using license plate reader programs. After officers attempted to stop the vehicle, a chase ensued and officers lost sight of the SUV after several minutes. It was later found abandoned in a nearby alley with two cellphones inside.
Police were able to identify 31-year-old Jimmie Gillespie as the suspect after determining the phones belonged to him. The phone contained CashApp information registered to "J-Beam," historical data placed the phone at the scene of the homicide on June 28 and there was a text message sent 30 minutes after the shooting that read, "1 down."
At-large warrants for first-degree murder and armed criminal action were issued against Gillespie on Thursday. He was originally taken into custody last Monday but not charged at that time pending additional evidence.
When he was arrested, investigators found a pistol matching the ballistics found at the scene. Gillespie admitted to police the pistol was his and that he used the name "J-Beam" on social media.
Gillespie was being held in federal custody on an unrelated charge. He had multiple prior felony convictions, according to charging documents, and was not in compliance with his federal supervised release when the incident happened.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to contact the Homicide Division at 314-444-5371. To remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).
