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A recent video doing the rounds on social media features an individual shooting down a homeless man.
Trigger Warning: The article consists of graphic videos and descriptions of violence. Discretion is advised.
The shooting took place in the heart of downtown St. Louis, right outside The Globe Building, on Tuesday, February 28.
In the video, the shooter can be seen loading his gun as he stands right behind the homeless man. The victim then raises his arms just before the shots are fired. The shooter has been identified as 23-year-old Deshawn Thomas, who has now been charged with first-degree murder.
Watching the video, netizens were left scared and terror-stricken. One social media user wrote in the comments:
“The dystopian present."
Who was the homeless man who was executed on the streets? More details revealed as video shocks netizens
After executing the homeless man, the shooter fled the scene, but was later arrested at a public library. Witnesses shared that they were petrified to see the incident happening in broad daylight. A few also claimed to have seen both men fighting outside the gas station a few moments before the shooting took place.
St. Louis Dispatch reported that the victim was later identified as David Saldana. Several publications have also reported that the victim was in his 40s.
Police are yet to find out if Thomas Deshawn already has a criminal background. There is also no information about the motive behind the shooting.
Several social media users also tweeted about the incident:
As the video spread like wildfire on social media, many slammed St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, demanding a resignation owing to the increasing crime rate in the city.
The backlash has intensified in light of a recent incident where a felon named Daniel Riley, struck a volleyball player with his car, which resulted in the girl losing both her legs.
As per Dailymail, there were 200 murders in the city in 2021, 263 in 2000, and 194 in 2019. However, in just 2 months of the new year, there have been 25 murders in the area, sparking concern among residents.
