Police said Shakeela Martin was not part of the dispute that led to gunfire.
FERGUSON, Mo. — Shakeela Martin, a 35-year-old mother of five, was shot and killed late June 30 outside a Ferguson gas station after taking two of her children there to buy cold drinks, police said.
Martin was identified as the woman killed at a BP gas station near South Florissant Road and Woodstock Road. Ferguson police said she was an innocent bystander and was walking back to her car with her 9-year-old and 6-year-old children when gunfire broke out nearby.
Officers were called to the station shortly before midnight for a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found Martin and a man suffering from gunshot wounds. Martin died at the scene. The man was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. Police said both victims were not involved in the dispute that started before the shooting.
Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said the children were physically unhurt but had watched their mother die. “She was here to purchase some soft drinks for her young kids,” Doyle said. “They’re physically unhurt, but obviously hurt emotionally.”
Investigators said an argument began inside the convenience store shortly before Martin arrived. Police said the dispute moved outside, where multiple rounds were fired from a nearby vehicle. A glass door at the station was later boarded up, and bullet holes were visible on the side of the building.
Martin worked at a Rally’s restaurant on Page Avenue. Renada McGhee said she met Martin there and later became friends with her on Facebook. McGhee said she once asked Martin whether she could pray for her after noticing she seemed upset. Martin cried and thanked her, McGhee said.
Neighbors and residents described anger and sadness after the shooting. Curtis Ware, a Ferguson resident, said the violence had left the community grieving. “I just feel like the violence needs to stop,” Ware said. Sterling Henderson said Martin’s children would carry the trauma of what they saw.
No suspect had been publicly identified or arrested as of July 2. Ferguson police said detectives were following leads in the case and the investigation remained active.
Author note: Last updated July 2, 2026.