White Student Fatally Shot in the Head by Black Purse Thief

Fox 2 Now
January 14, 2015

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Robert “Bobby” Christman III was murdered by a Black thief who was trying to rob one of the other passengers in the car.

A  college student shot in a Downtown St. Louis robbery attempt has died.  Police say 19-year-old Robert Christman was shot at approximately 12:45 a.m. Sunday.  Detectives say he was inside a parked car in 700 block of N. 15th St. with a 19-year-old female, and a 17-year-old male.

Police say an unidentified gunman opened the back passenger door of the vehicle and ordered the female to hand over her purse.

“She offered some level of resistance,” said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Captain Michael Sack.  “At that time the front right passenger had said something. He had made some kind of remark and at that time the suspect filed a single shot at that front right passenger.”

Sack said the victim was struck in the head by single gunshot.  He said the other persons inside the car were not injured.  The suspect left in a gray or silver-colored sedan.

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The 700 block of N. 15th Street, where a Black gunman shot a White teen during a robbery this weekend. The building on the right is the City Museum.

“We had officers within a five to six block radius when this incident happened,” said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Captain Michael Caruso.

He said downtown is the most heavily patrolled area of St. Louis.  He said the department would review its strategies following this shooting, but doubts anything could have been done differently to prevent the shooting.

“Some criminals are just bolder than others,” said Caruso.

News of the shooting spread quickly on social media.  The victim is a college student  and graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School.  Many of his friends sent messages of support praying for his recovery.​