More than a year after Jawon Deshawn Cooper was gunned down in Walnut Park West, St. Louis prosecutors have brought a fourth name into the case. The latest arrest tacks on another first-degree murder charge to a homicide file that already lists three other people as co-defendants.
Prosecutors say Cortez A. Clark was arrested Tuesday, July 28, and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to FOX 2. The station, citing online jail records, reports that Clark is being held without bond.
Cooper, 27, was shot just before 10 p.m. on July 17, 2025, after police received ShotSpotter alerts near Emma and Lucille avenues, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Officers later traced the crime scene to the 5400 block of Park Lane. Cooper was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A detectives initially had few public details about what led to the killing, and police did not spell out an early motive.
Three Others Already Facing Charges
The case started generating charges last summer. First Alert 4 reported that De’Andre Chaney was charged on July 31, 2025, followed by charges against Ladarold Ford on Aug. 7. Both men face first-degree murder and armed criminal action counts, and Ford is also charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Shaunice Jones, arrested alongside Ford, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree drug trafficking, while Chaney picked up an additional stealing charge.
An account summarized by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says charging documents allege Chaney and others drove to Park Lane, where Chaney and another person got out of the vehicle and opened fire on Cooper. The outlet’s homicide tracker notes that a police detective cited surveillance video apparently showing the group before the shooting, and that Chaney acknowledged he appeared in the footage.
Charges Remain Allegations
The new filing against Clark does not establish guilt. Prosecutors still have to prove every allegation in court, and Clark and the others charged in the case are presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the SLMPD Homicide Division at 314-444-5371. Anonymous tips can be submitted to CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS, with rewards available only for tips that lead to a felony arrest, according to the department’s case update.
