WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — An attempted car theft that turned deadly over the weekend is now helping law enforcement piece together a larger issue that's been plaguing the St. Louis area.
It all started in a strip mall parking lot on Laclede Station Road in Webster Groves just after midnight on Saturday. It's an area that rarely finds itself at the center of violence.
"Most of our crime is property crime, pretty nonviolent crimes," Lt. Jillian McCoy, Lieutenant of Criminal Investigations for the Webster Groves Police Department said.
But that wasn't the case that early Saturday morning, outside of HotShots Sports Bar & Grill.
What started as one thing quickly turned into much more once police arrived, according to McCoy.
"We did receive a call for service. The call actually came out as an attempted stolen auto. Upon arrival, officers immediately located a victim lying on the ground," she said.
A man told police he was sitting in his car when he heard glass breaking. McCoy said when the man got out of his car he saw two men wearing black ski masks running towards him.
"When you have two individuals who have black ski masks and they're coming at you at a high rate of speed after committing several felonies, any normal person in their right mind would fear for their life," she said.
That's why, McCoy said, the man fired his gun, killing 19-year-old Javion Bibby.
His accused accomplice, 18-year-old Ronnie Jewett, then picked up Bibby's gun and raised it up at the victim, McCoy said. The victim then shot several rounds towards the area where Jewett was.
After that, McCoy said Jewett then ran towards the Affton area, where police found him quickly after.
"He actually admitted to law enforcement during the course of our investigation that he stashed the firearm in a storage closet that he broke into," she said.
Jewett is now charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, attempted stealing of a motor vehicle and tampering with physical evidence. His bond was set at $1 million.
McCoy said when Bibby and Jewett arrived in Webster Groves, they came in a stolen vehicle out of Hazelwood.
"These kinds of situations turn dangerous very quickly. Most individuals who do these types of crimes are armed and they are dangerous," she said.
After collecting evidence and conducting interviews from the scene, police believe both Bibby and Jewett were part of a larger organized auto theft crime ring across the St. Louis area.
McCoy said these individuals are known to be armed and dangerous.
"Our hope is that we can deter this crime and that we will eventually be able to identify other individuals related to this organized crime. We do believe that there are several others out there, and we do have a few others that have been identified," she said.
While the active investigation continues, McCoy said Webster Groves police are not only looking for suspected criminals, but they are also hoping to find and help more victims.
"I do firmly believe that in the next days to come, multiple municipalities will come forward and we will be able to hopefully locate more victims," she said.
Even though the work is far from over, McCoy believes this is a good learning opportunity for the community to remember to hide and lock up your belongings.
"Will that stop the issue? No, but it definitely will deter it," she said.
Right now, the victim of the attempted car theft who made the original 911 call has not been charged with a crime. Police believe he was acting in self-defense.