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FEATURED: St. Louis News - Extended Coverage (2022)
Missouri doesn’t have a red flag law, renewed legislation aims to change that
Missouri doesn’t have a red flag law, renewed legislation aims to change that
Missouri doesn’t have a red flag law, renewed legislation aims to change that
Oct. 29, 2022
As the investigation continues into Monday’s school shooting in St. Louis and how the gunman reacquired a weapon used in it, St. Louis police say officers lacked the authority to temporarily seize the gun because the state of Missouri does not have a red flag law in place.
A 19-year-old gunman killed two people Monday morning in a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Police later shot and killed the gunman, who hurt several others in the incident.
On Oct. 15, the family of the gunman, identified as Orlando Harris, reported to police that he had acquired an AR-15-style rifle from a private seller after an FBI background check stopped him from buying a weapon from a licensed dealer earlier in October.
The family hoped officers would either seize the weapon or transfer it elsewhere. The gun ended up with a third party, then eventually ended up back in Harris’ hands. Police could not take possession of the weapon at the time due to Missouri’s lack of a red flag law.
“There is no existing law which would have prevented the private sale between the original purchaser and the suspect in this case,” said the St. Louis Police Department in a statement Wednesday.
Following Monday’s shooting, FOX 2 has confirmed that two Missouri lawmakers are working on legislation that could possibly change that.
Missouri State Rep. Ian Mackey (D – 87th District) first pushed for such legislation around two years ago. He introduced HB 126 ahead of the 2021 legislative session, which called to establish extreme-risk protection orders, enable police to issue warrants for gun seizures and ban domestic violence offenders from owning a firearm.
Two years ago, the bill was unable to make it past a general laws committee. Rep. Mackey is preparing to refile legislation with near-identical language in December.
“Police in St. Louis have been pretty clear that this would have prevented the tragedy,” said Mackey in a phone interview with FOX 2. “When they were called to the house, they really wanted to be able to take that gun, and they just couldn’t do it. … I think this is the clearest instance of lives that could have been saved with legislation in place.”
RELATED COVERAGE:
Family previously reported gun to police before St. Louis school shooting (Oct. 26, 2022)
St. Louis shooter left handwritten note, brought 600 rounds of ammo (Oct. 25, 2022)
‘Thoughts and prayers won’t do it’ Page says stronger gun laws needed after Uvalde shooting (May 25, 2022)
Sweetie Pie’s TV star Tim Norman convicted in murder-for-hire trial
Missouri doesn’t have a red flag law, renewed legislation aims to change that
Missouri doesn’t have a red flag law, renewed legislation aims to change that
Sept. 16, 2022
A federal jury has convicted Timothy Norman, a man at the center of a 2016 murder-for-hire plot against his own nephew.
James Timothy “Tim” Norman was found guilty Friday of two counts of federal murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in the investigation.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Norman, a co-owner of Sweetie Pie’s soul food restaurants in the St. Louis area, took out a $450,000 life insurance policy in 2015 on his nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., with Norman named as the sole beneficiary.
Norman is the son of Robbie Montgomery, who founded Sweetie Pie’s in 1996. The restaurant and family were the subjects of a reality show produced by Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network called, “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.”
Andre Montgomery Jr. was shot and killed in the 3900 block of Natural Bridge Road just after 8 p.m. on March 14, 2016. He was 21. Norman was one of four people indicted in the conspiracy over his murder.
The trial lasted nearly two weeks, consisting of three days of jury deliberations.
“This is justice,” says Kaylin Griggs, the older sister of Andre Montgomery Jr. “I’m glad they put that monster behind bars for life. He ruined multiple lives, not just ours, but multiple lives. It’s some peace, but my brother is not going to come back while he’s still in jail eating commissary or whatever. But my Mother got some peace. We knew it was him.”
“On behalf of Mr. Norman, we’re extremely surprised and disappointed in the outcome,” says Mike Leonard, defense attorney from Leonard Trial Lawyers in Chicago. “We respect the work of the jury, the jury worked very hard on this case.”
As jurors discussed the case, they had a series of questions for the judge over the last few days. This included asking to see 7,000 pages of evidence detailing Tim Norman’s cell phone records; why there was no note mentioned of the cooperation agreement with the insurance agent, Darrell Howard; and evidence submitted by the agent.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Phone records establish timeline, challenge claim in Sweetie Pie’s murder-for-hire trial (Sept. 9, 2022)
Exotic dancer testifies in Sweetie Pie’s murder-for-hire trial (Sept. 8, 2022)
Sweetie Pie’s auctioning off assets weeks after St. Louis restaurant closes doors (Oct. 19, 2022)
Digital Producing: Local News, Features and More (2022)
BREAKING NEWS: Ex-St. Louis Alderman John Collins-Muhammad pleads guilty in bribery scheme
LOCAL REPORTING: Hyundai, Kia thefts 10 times higher in St. Louis City, County compared to last year
LOCAL REPORTING: Hyundai, Kia thefts 10 times higher in St. Louis City, County compared to last year
Aug. 23, 2022
John Collins-Muhammad, one of three former St. Louis City Board of Aldermen members indicted in a bribery scheme, pleaded guilty Tuesday to all federal charges.
Collins, along with former Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and former Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, was indicted in June in a federal pay-to-play scandal. More pleas are expected soon from Reed and Boyd.
Federal investigators say the former aldermen took cash to help secure tax abatements for a business developer. The feds say they have hundreds of recorded phone calls and thousands of text messages. Prosecutors initially charged Collins-Muhammad with two counts of bribery and one count of honest services bribery/wire fraud in the investigation.
The former 21st Ward alderman is accused of accepting bribes and a free car to help a small business owner get approval to build a gas station/convenience store in his ward and receive tax breaks worth several hundred thousand dollars, in direct violation of city and state ordinances. The small business owner, unidentified in the indictment, also sought Boyd’s assistance to buy and redevelop a parcel of land in Boyd’s ward.
LOCAL REPORTING: Hyundai, Kia thefts 10 times higher in St. Louis City, County compared to last year
LOCAL REPORTING: Hyundai, Kia thefts 10 times higher in St. Louis City, County compared to last year
LOCAL REPORTING: Hyundai, Kia thefts 10 times higher in St. Louis City, County compared to last year
Oct. 15 2022
Car thefts have spiked around the St. Louis region this year, particularly driven by a surge in stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
In St. Louis City and St. Louis County, thefts of both vehicle makes are up more than ten times from last year’s levels, according to data requested from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and St. Louis County Police Department.
Leaders in St. Louis City want to be proactive on the situation. In August, the St. Louis city counselor’s office sent letters demanding action from Kia and Hyundai, chastizing the car manufacturers for failing to install an engine immobilizer in many of their vehicles. Police claim this was discovered in a TikTok trend earlier this year, leading to a spike in such thefts not only in St. Louis, but also nationwide.
“The (City of St. Louis) demands that Kia and Hyundai mitigate the defective conditions providing thieves the ability to steal cars, destroy property, endanger city drivers and themselves, and in some cases committing very violent crimes,” said Dan Isom, Director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis.
TRENDING TOPICS: Inside ‘The Armory’: St. Louis opens new entertainment center
ST. LOUIS SPOTLIGHT: 'It's a great city': Third Eye Blind drummer looks ahead to STL show
ST. LOUIS SPOTLIGHT: 'It's a great city': Third Eye Blind drummer looks ahead to STL show
Dec. 18, 2022
A historical landmark site in St. Louis will soon carry new life as a multi-purpose entertainment center.
The Armory STL opens its doors to the public this weekend. The family-friendly venue inhabits the former home of the 138th Infantry Missouri National Guard Armory.
A two-story, neon green slide is one of the more notable attractions. The Armory also has spaces designated for cornhole, table tennis, badminton, foosball and other party-game activities.
“We cannot wait to share this space with St. Louis and the community. It is going to be amazing, truly something that’s never been done before,” said Ali Lamb, marketing director of The Armory STL.
Throughout the site, there are various signs and reminders of the site’s military role and St. Louis history. Developers will look to complete another phase of the project in the upcoming months. That will include a St. Louis Tennis Hall of Fame and new attractions in the basement of the facility.
ST. LOUIS SPOTLIGHT: 'It's a great city': Third Eye Blind drummer looks ahead to STL show
ST. LOUIS SPOTLIGHT: 'It's a great city': Third Eye Blind drummer looks ahead to STL show
ST. LOUIS SPOTLIGHT: 'It's a great city': Third Eye Blind drummer looks ahead to STL show
July 3, 2022
Third Eye Blind is headlining the festivities at Fair St. Louis on Sunday night. The San Francisco-based rock band is celebrating 25 years since bursting onto the scene with a largely-successful debut album, also coined “Third Eye Blind.”
The St. Louis stop is a break from the band’s 2022 SUMMER GODS Tour, which includes 34 shows in the United States over 52 days. Longtime drummer Brad Hargreaves says the band has some great memories in St. Louis and is excited to build on that during Sunday’s show.
“I’ve always loved going there,” said Hargreaves. “Being a part of that city, walking around, I’ve gone to some museums there. It’s just a great city, the Gateway to the West.”
Third Eye Blind delivered a unique performance on the Gateway Arch grounds in 2011. After the weather had impacted plans for a larger outdoor performance, Third Eye Blind gathered under the Arch and played acoustic versions of their songs after the storms cleared.
BREAKING NEWS
First probable case of monkeypox in St. Louis County
Kirkwood firefighters rescue 7 people trapped in carnival ride
Lawsuit filed over lead, asbestos exposure at Goodfellow Federal Center
Plan could mean 1,000 jobs lost at Granite City steel mill
Repeat thieves steal high-cost items in St. Louis County
TRENDING TOPICS
Beloved Illinois corn maze switching to hemp this fall
Explore this $1M island for sale at Lake of the Ozarks
Grab a burger, ride a go-kart at O'Fallon drive-in
Missouri Belle Riverboat from 'Ozark' is not in Missouri, nor is a casino
Southern Illinois fire crews respond to unusual call over snake bites
St. Louis eatery praised as Guy Fieri’s favorite in Missouri
ST. LOUIS SPOTLIGHT
Cyclists take on STL streets for World Naked Bike Ride
'Got a joke?' Why it's a St. Louis Halloween tradition
Happy Birthday, Gateway Arch! 57 years since final touches
Man with STL ties holds beer behind Tiger Woods, lands major endorsement
Terry Crews visits St. Louis Co. schools, promotes new book
FEATURED: Joey's Favorites from FOX2 (2022)
Cardinals fan shares wild story after missing two home run balls, including historic home run
Cardinals fan shares wild story after missing two home run balls, including historic home run
Cardinals fan shares wild story after missing two home run balls, including historic home run
May 25, 2022
Catching a home run ball is a bucket list item for many baseball fans. It doesn’t happen often; and usually, there is a bit of timing and good luck involved.
One lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan almost went home with two home run balls after Monday night’s win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Instead, he just missed two hard-hit souvenirs. Austin Bears, a 25-year-old St. Charles native, picked up two first-row, left-field bleachers seats for him and his girlfriend just hours before Monday’s game. That wasn’t the only decision he would need to make on a whim that night.
“We joked as we were getting out of the car, and I was like, ‘Do I bring my glove from the trunk?'” he said. “Because I always have my glove in my trunk. I was like, ‘No, I’m a grown man, I can handle it.'”
It wasn’t until a few hours after he entered the Busch Stadium the Bears wished he had his catcher’s mitt with him. With many bigger boppers in the battle of the birds, perennial All-Stars George Springer and Paul Goldschmidt put Bears’ talents to the test.
“If I got a chance to meet Goldy one day, I’m going to tell him that story. Same with Springer,” said Bears. “It’s a story I’m going to have to tell everyone about all of the time. Not having the [Goldschmidt] ball stinks, but having that story is worth so much more.”
Had Bears come up with both home runs, he would have overcome some very challenging odds. According to ESPN, a Stanford professor in 2005 estimated the odds of catching two home run balls in the same game could be as high as 1 in 5,000.
Jayson Tatum’s HS hoops coach on NBA title chase: ‘We believe he’s going to get it done’
Cardinals fan shares wild story after missing two home run balls, including historic home run
Cardinals fan shares wild story after missing two home run balls, including historic home run
June 2, 2022
One of St. Louis’s own takes on basketball’s biggest stage. Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are set for battle with the Golden State Warriors as the NBA Finals begin Thursday.
Tatum, a 2016 graduate of Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, is chasing his first NBA championship in a young, but highly-decorated career. The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the league’s most prolific scorers en route to three consecutive All-Star selections and most recently 2022 Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors.
His primary high school basketball coach, Frank Bennett, is thrilled to sit back and watch the ride.
“It’s been really awesome to see what he is doing right now, not only for the St. Louis community, but for basketball as a whole,” said Bennett in a one-on-one interview Wednesday with FOX2. “He’s a guy that has everything at his fingertips and is still a grounded down-to-earth guy. He’s getting poised and positioned to be the face of the league.”
Bennett, who took over as head coach of Chaminade’s varsity basketball team in 2013, first connected with Tatum during middle school basketball camps in the early 2010s. Prior to then, he also attended the same church as Tatum’s grandmother for several years. Bennett says he is lucky to watch Tatum make the most of his opportunities.
“He means so much to a lot of us at Chaminade and in the St. Louis community,” said Bennett. “We’re ten toes down with him, and we believe he’s going to be able to get it done and win an NBA championship.”
Robots help serve meals, bus tables for Mexican food chain in St. Louis County
Cardinals fan shares wild story after missing two home run balls, including historic home run
Robots help serve meals, bus tables for Mexican food chain in St. Louis County
June 10, 2022
One Mexican restaurant chain in the St. Louis region is turning to some friendly helpers amid staffing shortages, and you probably won’t find them much elsewhere around town.
Las Fuentes operates four restaurants between St. Louis and Jefferson counties. The robots are currently two weeks into a trial run in Affton and Oakville. By the end of the month, Las Fuentes hopes to have at least one robot helping with at each of its four locations.
The robots, created on behalf Bear Robotics Inc. in California, are equipped to help Las Fuentes up to 12 hours a day. They are programmed to complete several tasks from delivering food to bussing tables.
Jorge Maya, co-owner of Las Fuentes, says the restaurants first started considering robots after the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread labor shortages.
“We were struggling with help,” said Maya. “One day, we came up with this [concept] back at an expo in California. We thought it was a very good idea for helping employees bring some of our food out.”
It costs around $30 per day, or $2.75 per hour, to operate one robot. Maya says the robots are meant to complement staff at their restaurants, not take over the workforce.
“Whenever we use a robot, I wouldn’t say we’re saving the labor,” said Maya. “We’re only using it for helping our employees. I don’t personally see it as replacing people. I will say it does help you, but as far as replacing you, I don’t see that happening.”
Election Coverage (2022): August Primary, November Midterms
Election Night coverage requires weeks of preparation, despite most local and statewide races being called just a few hours after polls closed. The FOX 2 digital team pre-plans several web stories, graphics and live streams for winners, while also previewing prominent candidates and ballot measures. Below are among the elements I have helped with over the past two elections.
Amendment 3: When can you buy recreational marijuana in Missouri?
Get to know Senate candidate Eric Schmitt
Get to know St. Louis County Executive candidate Sam Page
MAP: Missouri's reddest and bluest counties, based on recent election results
Seven Missouri House district seats flip: Five to Dems, two to GOP
Voter’s Guide: What to know for Missouri’s Aug. 2 primary election
Which Missouri judges could be retained? 52 up for new terms
Severe Weather: Historic Flash Flooding, Tornado Threats
Sometimes severe weather happens as expected, and sometimes it happens on a whim. When it arrives to the St. Louis area, the FOX 2 digital team works to offer as many web stories, photo galleries and live streams as possible to convey its impact. After historic flash flooding in July and tornado threats in May, below are among the elements I produced during coverage.
Flooded car or home in STL area? What insurance companies want you to know
PHOTOS: FOX2 crews capture flash flooding all around STL region
Rainfall totals: Hardest-hit STL suburbs after two rounds of flooding
St. Louis area residents share photos from tornado-warned storms
8 tornadoes hit the St. Louis region in mid-May, NWS confirms
Social Spotlight: Engaging Social Media Photos and Posts
