Crime
Nykelte Wilburn Charged With Murder in Damonte Hightower Shooting Death
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A 17-year-old has died following a shooting in north St. Louis County that stemmed from a verbal altercation late Friday night.
Authorities have identified the victim as Damonte Hightower.
According to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, 23-year-old Nykelte Wilburn has been charged in connection with the killing.
The incident occurred on August 29, 2025, at approximately 10:37 p.m. in the 11000 block of Larimore Road, when police were alerted to gunfire through the city’s ShotSpotter system.
A probable cause statement indicates that surveillance footage captured the confrontation, showing Hightower and Wilburn engaged in a brief verbal exchange before shots were fired.
Witnesses rushed Hightower to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m. on August 30.
Investigators said Wilburn was identified both by multiple witnesses and from video evidence linking him to the shooting.
Wilburn is now facing multiple charges, including:
- Murder in the Second Degree
- Two counts of Armed Criminal Action
- Unlawful Use of a Weapon – Subsection 9 (Discharging from a Motor Vehicle)
- Failure to Report a Shooting
He is currently being held on a $1 million cash-only bond.
The investigation remains active, and authorities are urging anyone with additional information to contact the St. Louis County Police Department.
Our thoughts are with Damonte Hightower’s family and loved ones as they grieve this devastating loss.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.