Shirley Johnson, 55, was killed on March 31, 2026, on the 5100 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue in St. Louis’s Kingsway West neighborhood. She was a passenger in a vehicle that had backed into another car; what began as a minor collision turned deadly when someone opened fire. Johnson was struck and killed, and one report described her as a grandmother who was killed in front of her grandson.

Jones, 32, who lived on the same block, was charged in connection with the shooting. The publicly reported charges included first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon resulting in death, first-degree assault, and multiple counts of armed criminal action. Reports say he was held in the city jail without bond after the charges were filed.

Accounts quoted in reporting describe the shooting as fast and senseless; the probable-cause narrative states the accused told police he fired to intimidate the driver so the car would not hit his vehicle again, but the shot struck Johnson instead. No trial, verdict, or final court outcome was reported in those accounts. Does anyone have information about the events that led up to the confrontation that night or about witnesses who were present?