ST. LOUIS, MO – A Missouri man who was known for picking up strangers in need was shot and killed early Sunday morning after offering a ride to a woman at a gas station who said she needed to get to a warming shelter, authorities said.
William Palmer and a friend were out collecting scrap metal when they encountered Brittany Rivoire at a gas station in St. Louis. According to Palmer’s fiancee, Riyan Jones, Rivoire approached Palmer and asked him to take her to a warming shelter because she was cold.
Palmer agreed to help — something Jones said was characteristic of the man she loved. “If he saw someone walking, he was picking them up and taking them as far as he could,” Jones told reporters.
Palmer’s friend, who had also been in the vehicle, exited before the shooting after becoming concerned about Rivoire’s behavior, according to investigators. Moments later, surveillance cameras captured Rivoire shooting Palmer in the head inside the vehicle.
After the shooting, Rivoire allegedly drove Palmer’s truck several blocks before abandoning it and fleeing the area, authorities said.
Palmer, a father of three — a 6-year-old son, an 18-year-old daughter, and a 21-year-old son — was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rivoire has been charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, and vehicle tampering. She is being held without bond.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the killing. The investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors prepare to move forward with the case.
Jones and Palmer’s family have been left reeling by the senseless loss. Palmer had made a habit of helping strangers, a trait that ultimately cost him his life on a freezing St. Louis night.
