Bryant Jones

A Ferguson man was charged in April 2023, accused of killing a man during a July 2022 drug deal, court documents say. Henry H. Simmons, 28, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action in the July 4, 2022 death of Bryant Jones, 32. Charging documents allege the day before the killing Simmons contacted Jones through Facebook Messenger and arranged to purchase Xanax. Jones arrived at the meet-up spot near the 3700 block of Salome Avenue in Pine Lawn just after midnight July 4 and was shot in the chest inside a vehicle, St. Louis County police wrote in charging documents. After he was shot, Jones drove a short distance before crashing into a pole. He was taken to a hospital where he later died. St. Louis County police investigators found that Jones' cellphone and a bag that held his wallet and money went missing after the shooting. Police wrote in court documents that Simmons' phone records show he was near the crime scene at the time of the shooting. Simmons fled the St. Louis area after the shooting, court documents say. His bond was set Wednesday at $500,000, cash only.