Gas Station Clerk Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge For 2017 Homicide

ST. LOUIS, MO — Taleb Jawher, a 40-year-old former Phillips 66 gas station clerk, has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge related to the fatal shooting of a black customer he falsely accused of shoplifting in September 2017.

Jawher, who has also been charged with murder, admitted to having the gun illegally. Tourists, temporary residents and undocumented immigrants cannot legally posses firearms in the United States. Immigration officials say Jawher, who is from Jordan, overstayed his visa and was in the country illegally.

In 2017, Jawher confronted Christopher Simmons, a 34-year-old African American man, outside the gas station where he worked. Prosecutors say Jawher accused Simmons of stealing a bag of candy that cost about $1, pulled a gun and fatally shot him as he walked away.

Police arrested Jawher, but prosecutors initially declined to bring charges, citing self defense. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office quickly reversed itself, and Jawher was charged with first degree murder when the investigation revealed Simmons did not steal anything and was shot in the back of the head as he walked to his car.

The gun charge carries up to a 10-year sentence. Jawher is still awaiting trial for murder.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

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