ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Police are calling a Sunday night shooting in north St. Louis County a “premeditated” attack carried out with the use of a dating app. The victim was nearly killed. Two suspects have now been charged.
James Jackson, 26, and Kevin Tompkins, 23, were jailed with their bonds set at $500,000 cash-only.
In court documents, police say the two carried out the shooting with “planning and premeditation”.
A male victim, 44, met Jackson and Tompkins through a dating app and brought them back to his home on Rose Wreath Lane, near Florissant.
In court documents, police say the victim was shot in the chest, suffered a collapsed lung, and was initially reported to be in critical/unstable condition. He is now expected to survive.
One group of neighbors heard no gunfire and never knew that the victim, who is a mail carrier, had been shot.
Another neighbor told Fox 2/News 11 the victim lived just upstairs. The neighbor says he heard a noise he thought might have been a glass breaking. The next thing he knew, the victim was on his front porch, calling 911 and saying, “I’ve been shot.”
Jackson, the alleged trigger man, was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Tompkins faces the same charges.
Though authorities say the two planned the crime, they’ve released no further information regarding a motive for the shooting.
Police urged caution for those using dating apps and arranging meetings with people who are essentially strangers.
