Police said Shakeela Martin was an innocent bystander when gunfire erupted outside a BP gas station.
FERGUSON, Mo. — A 35-year-old mother of five was shot and killed late June 30 while leaving a Ferguson gas station with two of her young children after buying slushies, police said.
Ferguson police identified the woman as Shakeela Martin, a local mother who had stopped at the BP gas station near South Florissant Road and Woodstock Road shortly before midnight. Investigators said Martin was not involved in the dispute that led to the shooting. A man also was shot and taken to a hospital in critical condition. No arrest had been announced in the first days after the killing.
Police said Martin had taken her 9-year-old and 6-year-old children to the store on a hot summer night to buy frozen drinks. As she walked back toward her vehicle with the children, gunfire came from a nearby vehicle, striking her. Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said Martin was “a totally innocent victim” and had only gone to the store to buy drinks for her children. Doyle said the children were not physically injured but were left with the trauma of seeing their mother killed in front of them.
Investigators said the violence began with an argument inside the convenience store shortly before Martin arrived or as she was near the store. The dispute then moved outside into the parking lot, where shots were fired. Police said Martin and the wounded man were bystanders and were not the intended targets. After the shooting, a glass door at the gas station was shattered and later boarded up. Bullet holes were visible on the building as officers processed the scene and searched for evidence.
Officers were called to the gas station just before midnight for a report of gunfire. When they arrived, they found Martin and the wounded man. Martin died at the scene. The man was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. Police did not immediately release his name or say whether his condition had changed. Authorities also did not release a full description of the people believed to have fired the shots or the vehicle involved.
The killing left Martin’s family grieving a woman they described as devoted to her children. Relatives said she had five children, ages 3, 4, 9, 11 and 15. Family members said she had been preparing to move into a new home and had taken the children out for slushies as part of what should have been a happy moment. Her cousin, Whittley Anderson, described the shooting as senseless and said the family was struggling to understand how a routine stop at a gas station turned deadly.
Friends also remembered Martin as warm and caring. Renada McGhee said she met Martin at a Rally’s restaurant where Martin worked. McGhee said she once noticed Martin seemed upset and asked if she could pray with her. Martin accepted, McGhee said, and became emotional during the moment. Those who knew Martin said she was a loving mother who worked hard and put her children at the center of her life.
The shooting added another layer of grief in Ferguson, a St. Louis County city that has seen repeated concern about violence in public places. Police said the case was especially painful because the victim had no role in the conflict. Doyle said investigators had promising leads and were using department resources to find the people responsible. Police were expected to review surveillance video, witness statements, shell casings and other evidence from the parking lot and surrounding area.
Authorities did not immediately announce charges. The next steps include identifying the shooters, determining how many people fired weapons and confirming the events that led from the argument inside the store to the gunfire outside. Police have not said whether they believe the shooting involved people who knew each other or whether the wounded man had any connection to the dispute. Investigators continued to classify Martin as an innocent bystander.
The gas station remained a visible reminder of the violence in the days after the shooting, with damage still noticeable at the building. For Martin’s family, the scene marked the last ordinary errand she made with her children before the night turned into a homicide investigation. Relatives said the children now face life without their mother after witnessing the attack at close range.
As of July 7, no arrest had been publicly announced. Ferguson police said the investigation remained active, with the search for suspects and review of evidence continuing.
Author note: Last updated July 7, 2026.