Tyieshia McDowell, a 47-year-old mother from Florissant, was shot in the head while sitting in a vehicle near the fuel pumps at a Conoco station on Natural Bridge Avenue on July 31, 2025. Her family has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the station’s owner and operator and against Phillips 66 Co., arguing the business ignored years of warning signs before her death.
A Lawsuit Built on a Troubling Pattern
The suit, detailed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, alleges that repeated violent crime at the site posed a foreseeable risk of harm to customers and others, and that the defendants knew or should have known violence was likely in the parking lot and fuel-pump areas where customers regularly gathered. The location has also seen recurring responses to serious incidents.
The lawsuit names the Conoco station’s owner and operator and Phillips 66 Co. as defendants. Phillips 66 did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the Post-Dispatch’s reporting by Bryce Gray.
A History of Violence at the Station
The Post-Dispatch has described the station as notorious for its history of violent crime.
Area residents have taken to calling the station “Murder Mobil,” a nickname that reflects its long-running reputation. The property was once supplied by Exxon-Mobil and was photographed at 5750 Natural Bridge Road on February 28, 2024, as part of the Post-Dispatch’s reporting on the site’s history.
A Violent History Predates McDowell’s Death
A report by FOX 2 said Tyieshia McDowell, 47, was shot in crossfire outside the Conoco station at 5750 Natural Bridge on July 31, 2025, and succumbed to her injuries on August 2, 2025.
The pattern of violence at the Crown Food Mart Phillips 66 on North Kingshighway is not new. St. Louis Public Radio reported that the station has been the site of several violent crimes and shootings since 2018, including the 2024 killing of John Christmas. His brother, local attorney Jerryl Christmas, called for the station to be closed and said he would continue fighting for it, and an attorney in that case said about 250 calls for emergency services had been made to the station in the prior year.
Allegations of Inadequate Security
The McDowell lawsuit alleges that the station’s current owners and operators failed to address known dangers and implement reasonable security measures.
Reports also described shootings at a Natural Bridge gas station on January 10 and 13.
The full status of the McDowell family’s case, and any response from the named defendants, has not yet been made public.
