The St. Louis area was introduced to three young men last week: Sheltkeem Brown, 18; Bernard Dorris, 19; and Ronnie Mottley, 18.
Chances are we probably never would have learned their identities if they had been successful at allegedly trying to shoot someone driving a vehicle east on Page Avenue, near Euclid Avenue. If this were accomplished, we might have never learned the victim’s name, and the shooters might have slipped back into the world in which they reside, never to be heard from again unless nabbed for another heinous crime. As with many St. Louis murders, witnesses would have been hard to find; fear of retaliation is a motivation to keep quiet.
But we now know the names of Brown, Dorris, and Mottley because they allegedly killed someone with a well-known name.
Patrice Thimes was traveling west on Page Avenue when the trio reportedly opened fire. A stray bullet struck her, and the 39-year-old mother of two died at the scene. The Thimes family has a grand history in radio and entertainment in St. Louis. Lou “Fatha” Thimes is a member of the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame. His son, Lou Thimes Jr., followed him into the disc-jockey booth. Sister Denise Thimes is a talented blues and jazz singer who has performed for the Queen of England. Maybe it was the Thimes’ name that led at least two witnesses to come forward. It happens so rarely.
The alleged gunmen are charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
The Thimes family, like scores of others in St. Louis, now must deal with losing a loved one to gunfire.
There are two other names I’ll share with you: This fall, Patrice Thimes’ daughter, Marissa, will begin college at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. Patrice had another daughter, Madison, who is 5 years old. They planned to celebrate their mother’s 40th birthday this past Sunday. Instead, they will bury her on Saturday.
