Former football player’s cold case remains unsolved while reward money doubles to incentivize witnesses
By Jenna Rae
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — It’s a case that’s gone cold. It’s been 67 days since Damion Baker was shot and killed in downtown St. Louis. Now, his family and police are making new pleas to find the killer.
“Damion was not a young man that would have hurt anyone,” An’namarie Baker said.
An’namarie Baker is Damion Baker’s mother. She, Damion Baker’s siblings and an entire community are mourning a killing surrounded by questions.
“We just ask every day that you find it in your heart to help us ease our pain,” An’namarie Baker said.
In July, 25-year-old Damion Baker was shot and killed in a parking lot during an attempted carjacking just south of Busch Stadium. No suspect has been pinned down.
“There was someone on that parking lot. There was someone who made that 911 call, who heard, that can give us some insight,” An’namarie Baker added.
Despite there being several surveillance cameras near the intersection where Damion Baker was killed, St. Louis Metropolitan Police confirmed not a single one captured the crime. Maj. Ryan Cousins with SLMPD, who’s working the case, said since there’s no footage, the department is relying solely on eyewitnesses.
“It’s very frustrating. We’re going to continue to have this. We say we care about each other, but when incidents like this happen and we don’t have anyone coming forward, we know there are people who were there that witnessed the event,” Cousins said.
n an effort to draw out witnesses, Baker’s former employer Local Union 42 matched Crime Stoppers’ reward. There is now a $30,000 reward offered to whoever can lead police to Damion Baker’s killer.
“When the community, and the businesses, and the family and friends, and employers rally around the victims and add more money to it, it’s more of an incentive for someone to call,” Lisa Pisciotta with Crime Stoppers said.
This year alone, Crime Stoppers’ tips have helped arrest 15 suspects and solved 32 cases in the bi-state area. The Baker family is holding close that a tip brings them justice as well.
“My prayer is that whomever these individuals are, that they find it in themselves, that in their moms, their aunts, their uncles find it within themselves,” An’namarie Baker said.
All Crime Stoppers tips are 100 percent anonymous with no caller ID and no phone line tracing. You can also submit anonymous tips online.
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