A St. Louis woman, identified by police as Tanisha Harrell, is facing a first-degree murder charge after officers found a man shot inside a Baden neighborhood apartment. The victim, identified as Cortez Fleming, was discovered dead in the unit, and investigators say surveillance footage and other evidence pointed them to Harrell. She is in custody and being held without bond, according to police.
Harrell faces counts of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and possession of a controlled substance, according to KMOV. The outlet reports that a probable-cause statement says Harrell initially told officers she had not seen Fleming in months and suggested he shot himself. The statement later quotes Harrell as saying "maybe she had seen him more recently than she thought," according to the article.
St. Louis police were called to the 800 block of Gustav Avenue after a single gunshot was reported in the early afternoon of May 6. Officers later found Fleming with a gunshot wound inside an apartment, according to First Alert 4. Homicide detectives took over the investigation, and building surveillance video was obtained as part of the case.
Timeline From Surveillance and Interviews
The probable-cause statement, as detailed by KMOV, lays out a tight timeline. Security video allegedly shows a woman at a bus transit center around 12:22 p.m. on the day of the shooting. The footage then shows her meeting Fleming at a gas station before the two head to the Gustav Avenue apartment unit.
According to the statement, a single gunshot was heard around 1:38 p.m., and video shows the woman leaving the apartment about 1:40 p.m. Investigators say they later found Harrell on Nassau Drive on May 8, wearing the same distinctive necklace that appears on the surveillance footage.
Charges and What Comes Next
Harrell is being held without bond while the case moves through the courts. No possible motive has been released, and detectives have not commented beyond what is contained in the probable-cause statement. Prosecutors will review the full investigation and determine whether to seek any additional charges or sentence enhancements as the case advances.
Baden Neighborhood Context
Recent violent incidents have put a spotlight on the Baden neighborhood, where investigators often rely heavily on surveillance video and witness tips to piece together what happened. a separate Baden homicide previously covered in local reporting highlighted a similar pattern. Police are asking anyone with information about the Fleming case to contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Homicide Division.
