Charges dropped after killing at mall deemed self-defense

Published January 31, 2022 2:23 PM

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County prosecutors have dropped murder charges against a teenager who was accused of fatally shooting a man at the Galleria shopping mall in 2020. Jaron Lemmitt had been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of 21-year-old Jaquan Steed. Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement on Monday that surveillance video not available at the time charges were filed provided “unmistakable evidence” that Lemmitt acted in self-defense. The shooting happened July 22, 2020, sending mall patrons scattering. Bell says surveillance video showed that Steed initiated the fatal confrontation by rushing down an escalator and assaulting Lemmitt.

Article Topic Follows: AP Missouri

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