Christopher Bell, a 39-year-old Black / African American man, was shot and killed in the early hours of February 12, 2021, in the parking lot of an apartment complex at East 125th Street and Spring Valley Road in Belton, Missouri. Police found Bell after reports of gunfire; he had sustained gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Court documents identify 38-year-old Charles Baldwin Jr. as the primary suspect. According to a witness statement, Bell and a third man had gone to the complex intending to rob Baldwin, because the third man owed Baldwin about $1,800 for methamphetamine. The witness says he went inside to speak with a woman, left Bell and Baldwin outside, then returned to see Baldwin claim Bell had robbed him and begin shooting toward Bell’s car. The witness reported pulling Bell from the driver’s seat after the shooting and fleeing in Bell’s vehicle.

Authorities later located and arrested Baldwin; the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a weapon. The other man involved was also arrested and charged with robbery, second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Does anyone have additional information about Bell, the events that night, or witnesses who were nearby?