A 27-year-old man is charged after officers found 23-year-old Jardyn Walker dead off Olive Street.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — St. Louis police found a missing delivery driver shot to death early Wednesday in the Central West End after tracing his phone to an alley off the 4200 block of Olive Street, then announced charges later in the day against a 27-year-old man arrested nearby.
Police identified the victim as Jardyn Walker, 23, of Ferguson. Walker had been reported missing Tuesday after he failed to meet his sister at Amazon’s Hazelwood facility, where family said he expected a ride home. Investigators said University City police requested assistance just after 1 a.m. Wednesday when Walker’s phone data pointed to the Central West End. Officers found him unresponsive with a gunshot wound and pronounced him dead at the scene. By afternoon, detectives said the case had moved swiftly from a search to a homicide investigation with a suspect in custody and charges filed.
According to police, the timeline began Tuesday evening with a shots-fired call around 8:45 p.m. in the Central West End. A car seen leaving the area was stopped near Boyle and Lindell, and the driver was detained after an officer spotted weapons inside, authorities said. Hours later, University City officers asked city police to help track Walker’s phone. Officers followed that signal to an alley off Olive, where they found Walker with a wound to the torso. “This started as a missing person; it is now a homicide,” a department spokesperson said, adding that evidence from the initial stop helped link the two scenes.
On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Jamaal Lamonte Jones, 27, with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and felony evidence tampering. Charging documents say a witness identified Jones as the shooter. Police said Jones admitted firing a gun and claimed he feared for his life; detectives said shell casings were recovered, including some allegedly found in Jones’ pocket when he was arrested. Investigators said Walker and Jones knew each other. They also said Walker was in the area for personal reasons, not for work. Authorities did not detail a motive and said additional forensic testing is underway. The city’s medical examiner will determine final cause and manner of death.
Walker was reported missing after he did not arrive for a planned pickup at the Amazon facility, a detail that quickly circulated across family social media posts and neighborhood text chains Tuesday night. The Central West End, a dense neighborhood of apartments, restaurants and medical offices, has seen a mix of property crime and sporadic gun violence in recent years. Police said officers canvassed the 4200 block of Olive overnight, reviewed camera footage from nearby buildings and sought additional witnesses who may have heard the gunfire or seen people running before 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Jones is being held pending his first court appearance. Under Missouri law, a first-degree murder charge can carry a sentence of life without parole. Detectives said they are still collecting surveillance video and processing ballistic evidence from the alley and the earlier vehicle stop. Police said they expect to present any new findings to prosecutors in supplemental reports. A probable cause hearing date was not immediately available Wednesday night. Officials said they will release more information, including any additional arrests, when confirmed.
Neighbors described being jolted awake by sirens and a heavy police presence spanning Olive Street to Lindell Boulevard. “It was quiet, then all the lights showed up at once,” said Jewelanda Hodges, who lives near the alley. “By morning, we heard someone had died. It’s heartbreaking.” Outside the tape line, a pair of evidence markers sat near a dumpster as detectives photographed the scene. Walker’s relatives declined comment at the scene but later confirmed his identity through police.
As of Thursday morning, police said the investigation remains active with no motive publicly confirmed. Jones faces a detention decision and an initial court date expected in the coming days. Detectives are reviewing additional video clips gathered from businesses along Olive Street and nearby medical complexes, with further updates anticipated this week.
Author note: Last updated January 22, 2026.