RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. — An 18-year-old man has been charged in connection with the deadly double shooting at the Saint Louis Galleria.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office issued warrants on Jaron Lemmitt for one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
He’s being held on a $1 million cash-only bond, according to St. Louis County police.
The man who was shot and killed has been identified as 21-year-old Jaquan Steed. The second victim has been treated and released from a hospital, police said.
The shooting happened at the Saint Louis Galleria around 12:35 p.m. on Wednesday. Police said a dispute began inside the mall between two groups of people and led to the shooting. Police said the relationship between the two groups of people is not known. It happened near the northwest portion of the mall, on the second floor near a pair of escalators.
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According to a press release from St. Louis County police, a detective was able to secure video footage of Lemmitt and circulated a still photo of the his face to the media. Police said he was identified as the perpetrator of these two shooting offenses by three people. Police also found a gun from the parking lot where he was seen running. Police said the firearm seized is a forensic match with the shell casings recovered from the scene. Lemmitt was taken into custody by the detective. Police said Lemmitt was found hiding in a hotel room.
On Wednesday police said they were looking for three or four people who fled from the scene. It’s unclear if they’ve made contact with any of the others they were looking for.
Anyone with other information regarding the incident should call the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 or leave a tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
Manager of store recalls shooting incident
Alvin Hopgood spoke to 5 On Your Side's Sara Machi the day after the shooting.
He manages a clothing store at the Saint Louis Galleria. He said he subscribed to the mall's automatic alert text system and that's how he knew right away there was a situation happening.
"We did get a message immediately saying that there is a police presence in the mall and there is a situation taking place. Basically, it was telling us to close our gates, usher any customers that we see into the store for their safety, go into the back room, and wait for further instructions," he said.
Hopgood added he wanted to ensure his staff is on the call list in case something happens in the future.
"Everything was quick and timely. I’m not a very panicky person, but even some of the people who were panicking… Instructions were clear on what to do so they were at ease and they knew the situation is being handled."