By Ahmed Abdelsalam
A man accused of fatally shooting a teenager on a Missouri highway has been charged in connection with a separate shooting incident that occurred just days earlier. Both incidents involved gunfire directed at vehicles traveling on major interstates.
The Fatal Shooting of Alyssa Wilson
On October 14, 17-year-old Alyssa Wilson was driving on Interstate 170 in Overland, Missouri, while en route to a Halloween event at the St. Louis Zoo. Prosecutors state that a single shot was fired into the back of her Buick Encore, striking Wilson in the back. The impact incapacitated her, causing the vehicle to crash into a concrete highway median. Wilson was later pronounced dead at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Willie James Herndon of Texas, reportedly had no known relationship with the victim. Wilson's father, Robert Hickman, described the killing as a senseless act that robbed his daughter of her future and planned family milestones.
Link to Previous Shooting Incident
Federal court documents reveal that Herndon is also linked to a shooting on October 11, involving a vehicle near the exit of Interstate 55 in Missouri. Surveillance footage from that incident showed a white SUV fleeing the scene, which matched the description of Herndon’s Buick Enclave. Investigators are currently conducting ballistics testing to determine if the weapon used in both attacks is the same.
Arrest and Evidence Recovery
Law enforcement officials tracked the suspect's vehicle from the October 11 incident to the scene of Wilson's death, eventually locating him at a hotel in Caseyville, Illinois, on October 16. According to prosecutors, Herndon attempted to flee while officers were speaking with his wife, Taiya Herndon, and was shouting about a shooting during his arrest.
A search of the hotel room uncovered an ABC-15 rifle, ammunition matching the type used in Wilson's death, a gas station receipt from near the crime scene, and handwritten notes detailing police vehicles the suspect believed were tracking him. Herndon faces federal charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm, as well as state charges in St. Louis County for first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
