BRIDGETON, Mo. — A teenager who was shot in the aftermath of a car meet — also known as a "slideshow" — has died from his injuries.
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis confirmed the death of 15-year-old Gerardo Perez from East St. Louis. Family called him Lalo.
According to a GoFundMe it said, "For multiple days he was fighting for his life. Sadly, in the end his family decided that he should finally rest as he was on life support."
The Major Case Squad said two people are now facing charges in connection with the shooting. Garron Stevenson, 19, was charged with nine crimes, including second-degree murder, three counts of assault and multiple gun charges. A second suspect, a 17-year-old, was charged with second-degree murder. Both suspects are in custody, but the 17-year-old's identity was not released by police.
Stevenson's bond was set at $1 million for Stevenson with no 10% allowed.
5 On Your Side learned Stevenson was indicted by a grand jury earlier this year for felony gun and drug charges in 2022 in St. Louis County.
A family friend said the truck Perez was in happened to go in between two cars of people who were shooting at each other.
In the probable cause statement, police said Perez was sitting in the backseat of a truck when he was shot by someone in the backseat of a red Hyundai.
5 On Your Side obtained a video from that night. The video shows cars were bumper to bumper when multiple shots rang out. The video shows the victim in the truck and then a man being handcuffed by police.
While being interviewed by police, Stevenson identified himself in scene video and told police he fired eight shots.
ATF later found an AR-15 hidden in the wall at Stevenson's home. He admitted that was the gun used in the shooting.
Police believe it all began in an empty parking lot at the Bridgeton location of Extra Space Storage near St. Charles Rock Road and Cypress Road.
Soren Britz, who lives nearby, said he and his friend were pulling up to the Circle K off St. Charles Rock Road when they saw hundreds of people, cars and reckless driving.
“We saw a bunch of smoking tires and everything happening over here. And there was a big group of people. So we came over here, and they were burning out and doing all the car takeover things and stuff like that,” Britz said.
The crowd eventually left, but police say they continued to cause issues elsewhere in the area.
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis was activated after reports of a shooting near the Earth City Expressway and Corporate Woods Drive. In a statement, it said Bridgeton police officers were met with gunfire as people tried to drive away.
At least five people, including Perez, were injured. He later died from his injuries.
The Major Case Squad confirmed to 5 On Your Side that investigators now believe the shootings were connected to the "slideshow" event earlier in the night.
Perez was a student at Collinsville High School. He had just finished his freshman year and it was his first day of summer on the night of the shooting. A school spokesperson said their grief team is preparing to send resources to students and families.
Perez's family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical bills and funeral costs.
The Major Case Squad is planning to hold a news conference to discuss the deadly shooting Thursday morning at 11:30 am.
St. Louis County police are looking for any information in connection with the incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 636-529-8210 or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.