ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A man was handed a life sentence in a deadly parking lot shooting in north St. Louis County that happened several years ago.
Investigators say Anthony Tate, 27, fatally shot one man and hurt two others in a shooting on Dec. 12, 2019. He opened fire at a vehicle in a parking lot on Lewis and Clark Boulevard. Tate killed Timothy Simmons and seriously hurt two others in the shooting.
According to court documents, Tate was recorded on video approximately four minutes after shooting at a gas station, leaving behind the vehicle tied to the homicide. Cell phone records placed his phone in the vicinity of the shootings moments before.
Upon his arrest, police obtained a firearm that matched ballistic evidence in this case. The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the incident. Tate testified in his defense, arguing that a business associate who is now deceased had their shared phone in the vehicle at the time of the shootings and that he himself was not the individual recorded on the surveillance video. This testimony contradicted a prior statement he made to police.
“This conviction and sentence make it clear that gun violence will not be tolerated in St. Louis County, and I pray that Mr. Simmons’ family and the other victims find some solace in this verdict and sentence,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell.
Tate was sentenced Thursday on nine felony charges, including first-degree murder and four counts of armed criminal action. A judge sentenced him to life, plus another 15 years, behind bars without eligibility for parole.
