Florissant Man Indicted, Accused of Cool Valley Murder

ST. LOUIS – A man from Florissant, Missouri was indicted Wednesday and accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Devon Williams at a Cool Valley gas station in January.

Bryant Pirtle, 20, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on three felonies: possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

A motion seeking to keep Pirtle in jail until trial says two people shot Williams early on the morning of January 29, 2023 after he tried to buy marijuana from them at the BP gas station at 1790 South Florissant Road. They then ran Williams over while driving away. 

Police arrested Pirtle on March 22, 2023, after he and others fled in a stolen car from the same gas station where Williams was murdered. The car contained $4,500 in cash, about one pound of marijuana, two digital scales, baggies and two AR-15-style rifles, one of which was stolen. 

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Normandy Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nino Przulj and Jen Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.