A man in his 50s was shot and killed early Sunday after he offered a woman a ride to a warming shelter in downtown St. Louis, police said. The victim, identified by relatives as William Palmer, was found near North Ninth and Olive streets shortly before 2:30 a.m.
Prosecutors charged Brittany Rivoire, 36, with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm and first-degree vehicle tampering. Police say Palmer, a father of three, had stopped to help the woman amid frigid temperatures. Investigators are reviewing video from city cameras and other surveillance as they reconstruct the minutes before and after the shooting. Court records show Rivoire is being held without bond. The case has renewed attention on safety downtown and on the strain cold weather puts on people seeking shelter.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday and found Palmer with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A friend who had been riding with Palmer told investigators they had picked up a woman asking for a ride and later grew uneasy, according to a police summary. The friend got out before the shooting. Police say the woman drove off in Palmer’s pickup and left it a few blocks away. “He was just a giver,” said Palmer’s fiancée, Riyen Jones, describing him as a man who often helped strangers get where they needed to go.
Charging documents say investigators identified Rivoire as the suspect and booked her into the city jail. In addition to the murder count, prosecutors filed armed criminal action and unlawful gun possession, noting a prior felony record, and first-degree tampering tied to the stolen truck. Detectives said surveillance footage captured the encounter and the vehicle’s movements downtown. Authorities did not release a suspected motive. Temperatures in the area were below freezing overnight, and relatives said Palmer was out collecting scrap metal when he stopped to help. Court officials listed no attorney for Rivoire in initial filings.
Palmer’s killing happened as the city has expanded warming operations during cold snaps and increased patrols in the central business district. Relatives said Palmer regularly picked up pedestrians who needed a lift; Jones said she had warned him that habit could be risky but understood why he did it. Police records list the shooting location along a corridor lined with offices, hotels and garages that empties out overnight. In recent years, businesses and city leaders have pressed for more cameras and lighting as part of a broader downtown safety plan.
After the shooting, homicide detectives canvassed blocks of Olive, Ninth and Tenth for witnesses and video. Police recovered Palmer’s truck several blocks from where he was found. Investigators also traced the suspect’s movements to another driver who gave her a ride, according to a police narrative, and later made an arrest. Prosecutors said Rivoire’s prior felony conviction in 2024 for tampering with a motor vehicle bars her from possessing a gun. She remained jailed without bond Thursday. Officials said the investigation is active and urged anyone with information to contact detectives.
Rivoire faces an initial court appearance on the new charges; a hearing date was not immediately available in online records. Detectives are waiting for ballistics and other lab results. Police said additional surveillance clips are being reviewed and that they are still working to determine where the gun came from. If convicted of first-degree murder in Missouri, Rivoire would face a life sentence without parole. The medical examiner will release final autopsy findings when complete.
Friends and relatives have begun planning services and a fundraiser for Palmer’s family. Jones said Palmer, a grandfather and father to three children ages six, eighteen and twenty-one, was the household’s main provider. “He had a big heart,” she said. A neighbor who passed the scene Monday morning described a cluster of evidence markers on the pavement and a block briefly closed by police tape. Downtown workers who arrived later said the intersection looked normal by midmorning, with traffic flowing and commuters stepping around patches of ice.
As of Thursday evening, Rivoire remained in custody and police said no other suspects are sought. Detectives plan additional interviews and will present any supplemental reports to prosecutors. Court schedules indicate charging reviews continue this week; an arraignment is expected after formal service of the warrant.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.