Car Used In Teen's Murder Found Burned In North County

ST. LOUIS, MO — A stolen car police believe was used in the murder of 17-year-old Armond Latimore earlier this week has been found burned in Spanish Lake, the Post-Dispatch reports.

Yesterday, police asked for help identifying the red Pontiac G8, which authorities say was stolen in a carjacking earlier in August. Surveillance footage indicated the car may have been used in Latimore's murder. The teen was fatally shot on his birthday Saturday in the 3100 block of North Grand Boulevard.

Police say Latimore was shot in the head outside a Chinese restaurant where he had gone to get food shortly after 1 p.m. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Latimore's mother, Chandra Payne, told the Post-Dispatch she had gone to the grocery store to get some ice cream for her son's birthday when she got the call from police.

“He was always a helping-hand child,” she told the paper. “He would cut grass, wash your car or sell water. He loved music and loved money and always made it the right way.”

Just an hour before the shooting, Latimore posted to Facebook that he was glad he'd lived to see his 17th birthday.

(For more local coverage, subscribe to Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. You can also download the free Patch app for iPhone and Android.)

Anyone who knows anything about Latimore's shooting should contact St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers toll free at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477). All callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Tips can also be submitted through the CrimeStoppers website or free app.

Last year St. Louis cracked its 25-year murder record. Per capita, the city ranks third for homicides in the United States and first for non-fatal shootings, according to data from the FBI and Major Cities Chiefs Association.

So far this year, there have been 110 murders in St. Louis, according to a report from the Metropolitan Police Department. The victims are overwhelmingly young black men. Only 42 of the murders have been solved.

Read more from the Post-Dispatch.

Image via St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department