19-year-old found guilty for shooting and killing man over fireworks

ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis found a 19-year-old guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action Friday.

Devin Griffin-Curry was at his grandparent’s house in the 2500 block of Semple Ave. on July 12, 2022. Neighbor Rickey Jemore Lathan, 35, was outside with two of his six children, shooting off fireworks.

Griffin-Curry’s grandfather went outside and confronted Lathan when a bottle rocket mistakenly hit his house, telling him to take the fireworks to a vacant parking lot. At the same time, Griffin-Curry went and grabbed a 9-mm pistol and shot Lathan nine times.

Lathan was pronounced dead at the scene.

“This was a senseless murder of a father of six children over a minor incident,” Circuit
Attorney Gabe Gore said.

Griffin-Curry will be sentenced Monday.

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