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'He was always a nice, nice person' | Neighbors trying to make sense of veteran's murder

Michael Graft, a friend and neighbor of Culton said he never had a bad interaction with Culton.

ST. LOUIS — A 65-year-old man was murdered in a south St. Louis neighborhood early Sunday morning.

Officers received a call for police and located the victim, Brian Culton, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. When EMS arrived, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Culton was a friend to many in the neighborhood and was always sharing his positive attitude with others.

Michael Graft, a friend and neighbor of Culton said he never had a bad interaction with Culton.

“I don’t know how many years we have known Brian, but, he would catch us in the morning, or he would ask a question,” Graft said. “He was always a nice, nice person.”

Graft said Culton was the ideal neighbor, even when he needed help from neighbors.

“His window was broken, and it was cold out, so he came back and asked if we had anything to cover his window up with,” Graft said. “We had some sheet metal type of things for work and I gave him a couple of those.”

Months later, he spotted Culton sitting near his front door with a surprise.

“He said, ‘Hey that metal that I took, I got a new window unit and I brought your metal back.’”

Culton was a homeless veteran at one point in his life. He later achieved success and was able to rent his own apartment, which Graft said meant a lot to him.

Graft said he can’t understand why this would happen.

“If he put his life out for us and for something petty like that to happen, to aimlessly kill somebody, it’s kind of a waste,” Graft said.

Police do not have a suspect in custody. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Division at 314-444-5371 or submit tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.

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