ST. LOUIS – How a person of interest who was in handcuffs managed to escape from St. Louis City police officers remains a mystery. However, investigators said that person is no longer wanted for questioning in connection to the murder of a gas station clerk.
The family of 22-year-old Iyez Ahmed is grieving after he was shot and killed while working at the BP gas station in west St. Louis early Monday morning.
“He was innocent, and I hope they catch whoever did that and killed him. I’m sad about it,” said Nuruddin Khondakel, Ahmed’s cousin.
Ahmed’s uncle and aunt adopted him after his father passed away. He was originally from Bangladesh. His family said he graduated from Parkway Central High School and was working on a college degree in information technology (IT). His family said Ahmed was a hard worker, loved his job, and came to the United States for a better life.
“He wanted to save money for his mom back home so she could come here,” Khondakel said. “He tried to work as hard as he could to save money for his mom and brother.”
Police said Jataveion Scott remains on the run Wednesday. Investigators said Scott escaped police custody with handcuffs behind his back, and it took hours for police to say they had a suspect on the loose.
“This was a fresh investigation; investigators were following up on active leads that eventually brought them to that apartment within the Peabody housing complex,” said Sgt. Charles Wall with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. “But to say we waited 8 hours to request assistance from the media in locating that individual would not be accurate. We called in resources, and there was a search for him immediately following the escape.”
“He was a good boy. He died helping people. We will miss him,” said Modammel Khondakel,” Ahmed’s uncle.
Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).