St. Louis Man Carrying Petition Forms for a Safer Missouri Is Fatally Shot
Christine Byers, STL Today, February 8, 2012
A man who was found shot multiple times and carrying petitions to support A Safer Missouri’s local control ballot initiative Tuesday night has died, according to police.
Police found 55-year-old Darryl Winston of the 4400 block of Anderson Avenue in an alley between Holly and Clarence avenues near Carter Avenue just before 9 p.m. Tuesday. {snip}
He had been shot multiple times in the chest, police say.
Police say witnesses heard two men arguing before the shooting. Police did not have any information on a suspect.
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A Safer Missouri Citizens’ Coalition is sponsoring the 2012 ballot initiative to return control of the St. Louis police department to the city from the state.
A Safer Missouri Citizens’ Coalition contracted with National Petition Management to hire workers to collect signatures. About 100 workers signed up to work at polling places yesterday to collect signatures from registered voters, said National Petition Management president Lee Albright.
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Albright said it is unlikely the man was collecting signatures at the time of the shooting because it is not the company’s protocol to have workers out that late at night. He said the company employs its workers as independent contractors and pays them per signature.
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[Editor’s Note: U.S. News and World Report ranked St. Louis as the “most dangerous U.S. city” in 2011.]
