ST. LOUIS, MO (October 17, 2024) — It took a jury just 30 minutes to find Davon Griffin-Curry, 20, guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the fatal shooting of Rickey Jemore Lathan, 35, on July 12, 2022, in the 2500 block of Semple Avenue in the City’s Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood.

The night of the shooting, Lathan was standing in his bathrobe in his front yard with his 10-year-old son and five-year-old daughter at about 11 p.m. setting off fireworks. A bottle rocket shot across Semple and hit the house of Griffin-Curry’s grandparents. His grandfather, Ronald Curry Sr., became angry, rushed out of the house and confronted Lathan, telling him to shoot the fireworks off at a vacant lot nearby.

As they were arguing, Devon and his younger brother, Devin, ran out of the back of Curry’s house, guns blazing. Both brothers fired 9 mm weapons simultaneously. Lathan was hit ten times and died at the scene. Devin Griffin-Curry, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was certified to stand trial as an adult. He was convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in April and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The jury recommended a life sentence for Davon Griffin-Curry for second-degree murder and five years for armed criminal action.

Both cases were prosecuted by Special Assistant Circuit Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Szczucinski, both of whom are Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Office of U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.

“A murder over wayward fireworks left six children without their father,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Our office appreciates the diligence of Special Assistant Circuit Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Szczucinski in obtaining guilty verdicts against both brothers involved in this incident.”

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