Crime & Safety

Two Kirkwood Men Charged in Meacham Park Shooting

Police said shots missed a man, but did strike and kill his dog on Aug. 28.

Two men were charged in an Aug. 28 shooting in the Meacham Park neighborhood. A dog was struck by one of the bullets and was killed. One of the men accused in the shooting also was charged in an Aug. 19 assault that hospitalized the victim.

Marcus Tatum, 29, of the 300 block of Saratoga Street in Kirkwood, and Daron J. Parker, 19, of the 400 block of South Holmes Avenue in Kirkwood, each were charged Thursday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Kirkwood police said witnesses told officers that Parker and Tatum approached a man in the 400 block of New York Street and after a brief argument, one of the men fired shots at the victim. The shots missed the man, but his dog was hit by a bullet and was killed.

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Tatum and Parker were arrested several hours later. Police said Parker admitted being present during the argument but denied firing any shots.

Tatum also was charged with second-degree assault in a fight at Meacham Memorial Park in the 300 block of New York Street. A man and witnesses told police that Tatum and others attacked him.

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Police said Tatum repeatedly struck the man in the face and head and held him up so others could hit him, seriously injuring the man, who was hospitalized.

One of the witnesses recorded the incident on his cell phone and provided the video to the police.

Parker and Tatum are being held in the St. Louis County Justice Center. Bail was set at $125,000 for the charges related to the shooting.

Bail was set at $50,000 for Tatum on the second-degree assault charge.


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