A man was shot to death inside a motel room in Hazelwood in the early hours of May 4, 2020. Officers from the Hazelwood Police Department responded to a call about gunfire at about 1:45 a.m. at the Extend-A-Stay Suites, 7350 N. Hanley Road, and found 32-year-old William Rayford inside a room; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators quickly focused on a person of interest and released photographs of 28-year-old Jovotiney Powell, believed to have information about the fatal shooting. Witnesses reported seeing a suspect leaving the scene on foot. Detectives said the shooting happened during an alleged drug transaction at the hotel, and the circumstances in that room remain central to the inquiry.

If anyone was at the motel that night or has information about the transaction or the person seen leaving on foot, please share what is known.