JENNINGS, Mo. — Charges have been filed more than a year after a 15-year-old boy was found fatally shot on a Jennings parking lot.
Prosecutors charged 17-year-old Christopher Ford, of Black Jack, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, both of which are felonies. Ford was being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $750,000 cash-only bond.
St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives investigated the shooting death of a teen in Jennings back in 2022. The incident happened in mid-December of 2022 in the 8300 block of Octavia Avenue in Jennings.
St. Louis County police officers from the City of Jennings Precinct responded to a call for a shooting. Officers found a teen in a parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified as 15-year-old Demond Tucker.
According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court, on Dec. 21, 2022, Ford, Tucker and two other teenagers drove to a semi-vacant apartment complex in Jennings. A witness later told police they heard three gunshots and saw two people pull Tucker from the back of the car and leave him on the apartment parking lot. Tucker had three gunshot wounds.
There was no further information regarding the other two people who were in the car with Ford and Tucker.
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.
Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to "stabilize inner-city neighborhoods." One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program.
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 an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership with St. Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth.
Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities.
