ST. LOUIS, MO  (January 28, 2026) — Anwar Shands, 44, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus three years for the murder of his cousin in the City's Lewis Place neighborhood in 2020.

Judge Lynne R. Perkins imposed the sentence following Shands' October 2025 conviction for first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of 45-year-old Mallam Amir Tifah. The crime occurred on December 27, 2020, in the 4500 block of Newberry Terrace.

Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of a shooting and found Tifah lying face down and unresponsive. The medical examiner determined that Tifah was shot nine times, with most rounds entering through his back.

Witnesses told police they saw Shands fire multiple shots before fleeing into a nearby home. They also reported that he wore a red hoodie during the shooting and was no longer wearing it when he returned home shortly afterward. Officers later found a burned red hoodie behind a nearby residence.

Tifah called 911 after the first shots were fired. While he was on the line with the dispatcher, the call recorded additional gunfire as Shands shot him in the back. The incident was recorded and heard by the dispatcher in real time.

"This sentence reflects the severity of this crime and the devastating harm inflicted on an entire family," said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Life without parole ensures this defendant will never again have the opportunity to inflict violence on our community.”

Special Assistant Circuit Attorney Gordon Ankey and Assistant Circuit Attorney Emily K. Price prosecuted the case.

The defendant's case number is 2022-CR02142-01.