ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – In the middle of last week’s storms and flooding last Tuesday, North County Police Cooperative officers were working on a murder mystery that took unpredictable turns.

Police bodycam from July 16 around 6 p.m. shows an angry crowd on Oakwood Avenue in the Pine Lawn neighborhood as officers investigated a shooting death on the sidewalk. On the bodycam video, a woman can be seen saying she knows the victim tried to break into the crime scene as officers inspected a mysterious car.

That woman later broke through the crime scene tape. She was taken into custody as police tried to find out what happened and who was responsible.

Still images from a Ring camera appear to show two masked suspects, one with a rifle.

NCPC Major Ron Martin says their investigation determined the suspects had planned a robbery. But now, 23-year-old Daimon Lanell Patrick is charged with second-degree murder.

“Our investigators secured some evidence, some digital evidence, which suggests Mr. Patrick and the decedent orchestrated a drug deal,” Martin said.

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In a probable cause statement, a detective wrote about Ring camera footage that shows two robbery suspects, including Patrick, putting on masks. According to the detective, there’s also audio of one of the suspects saying, “Take the money.” Records then say gunshots were heard.

Police are not yet identifying the man who died, but they say he was wearing a mask and had a gun.

Martin added, “Because they facilitated a felony which led to the decedent’s death, that’s why Mr. Patrick is charged with murder, second degree, in the attempt robbery.”

The suspect’s capture is extraordinary because he was hiding inside the mysterious car.

“That car remained on the scene for approximately three to four hours. So, Mr. Patrick was hiding in the car for three to four hours, but that car was completely surrounded by law enforcement. We probably had 15–20 officers here,” Martin said.

Officers could only look inside car windows without a search warrant and two of the windows were covered with trash bags. When officers got their warrant hours later, they needed a way to search without endangering officers or the gathering crowd.

Martin said, “We couldn’t search the car here on the scene. The scene was too volatile. We wanted to remove the car from the scene—get it away.”

Thankfully, officers followed the tow truck because, as the vehicles entered the tow lot, video shows the suspect jumping out of the car with a rifle. He was arrested.

“Things are going to happen in this line of work, and it just showed that we had the ability to adapt and overcome,” Martin said.

Patrick, who faces four felony charges, including second-degree murder and attempted robbery, has a bond reduction hearing later this week.

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