A woman was found shot to death just before 12:15 p.m. Sunday in the 4400 block of Farlin Avenue, in St. Louis' Penrose neighborhood, according to police. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department homicide detectives are investigating her death, and no arrests have been announced.
The shooting was first reported by FOX 2, which said the woman was found shot in broad daylight on the North St. Louis block and that the station would provide more information as it becomes available. Police have not released the woman's name, age, or any details about a possible suspect.
A Corridor With a Violent Recent Past
Sunday's killing happened just blocks from where 19-year-old Jerome Baker was fatally shot on May 11, 2024, in the 4800 block of Farlin Avenue. Prosecutors said that shooting stemmed from street gang activity after Baker attempted to join a local gang, and 19-year-old Carlos V. Coleman Jr. was sentenced in May 2026 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the case, per the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office.
Farlin Avenue has seen other bursts of violence in recent years. In April 2025, a fatal shooting four blocks away in the 4100 block left a 35-year-old woman dead and a 42-year-old woman critically injured inside an upstairs bedroom while five young children were in the home, according to KSDK, which reported that the suspect fled while the children were uninjured. Two months later, in June 2025, a 21-year-old man was critically wounded in a non-fatal shooting in an alley off the 4800 block, a case in which SLMPD District 6 detectives sought tips on two suspects seen fleeing the scene.
Second Penrose Homicide Investigation in Under a Month
Sunday's shooting marks the second homicide investigation in Penrose in less than a month. On August 21, a man in his mid-30s was found shot to death on Penrose Street, and homicide detectives opened an investigation into that killing as well. The neighborhood has also seen isolated violence in the adjacent Mark Twain area, where a fatal overnight shooting became the sixth violent case there since March.
Penrose falls under District 6 of SLMPD's North Patrol Division, headquartered at 4014 Union Boulevard, which handles patrol duties across contiguous North St. Louis neighborhoods including Penrose, Mark Twain, and Baden. The neighborhood itself spans 0.77 square miles and is bounded by Interstate 70, Natural Bridge Avenue, Kingshighway Boulevard, and North Newstead and Pope avenues. According to 2020 U.S. Census data released by the City of St. Louis, Penrose has a population of 5,243 residents, down 17.9% from 2010, and is 95.3% Black.
Citywide Declines Contrast With Local Hotspots
The persistent violence along Farlin Avenue stands in contrast to broader citywide trends. SLMPD CompStat data for year-end 2025 showed homicides citywide dropped to 139, an 11-year low for St. Louis and down from 151 in 2024, according to KSDK. The same figures showed total shooting incidents fell 28% in 2025 compared to 2024, while overall violent crime dropped 16%, with city officials noting that overall crime reached its lowest point in more than a decade.
The City of St. Louis created the Office of Violence Prevention in July 2022 to coordinate funding and community interventions, directing federal funds to nonprofit partners such as Show Me Peace for street violence interruption. The office now supports more than 40 local organizations focused on youth outreach and domestic violence support, according to city officials.
Anyone with information about Sunday's shooting is asked to contact St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers, which offers anonymous cash rewards of up to $1,000 for tips leading to a felony arrest. Tips can be submitted by phone at 866-371-TIPS (8477) or online, and the organization operates independently, assigning callers anonymous code numbers to protect their identity.
