On May 9, 2025, Ariel Shaunta Eastling, 34, was found shot and killed inside a home on Wells Avenue in North St. Louis. Two other people died in the same incident: 58-year-old James Rodriguez, found in the basement, and 57-year-old Tyrone Mason, found on the front porch with a gunshot wound. Family members remember Eastling as someone who could light up a room and who deeply loved her family.

Police were on scene after a ShotSpotter alert in the early morning hours. A man inside the house, later identified as 61-year-old James Carter, briefly spoke with officers before returning indoors. He then came out armed with a rifle and fired at a St. Louis police officer and an ATF special agent. Officers returned fire; Carter retreated and was later found deceased near the front door after a SWAT entry. Investigators recovered five guns from the home, three near Carter. No officers or federal agents were injured. The motive remains under investigation.