Lashanna Jones Snipes, 34
St. Louis, Missouri
December 03, 2009
Agencies: North County Police Cooperative Missouri
Cause of death: Vehicular
Last updated: over 3 years ago
Overview 
Lashanna Snipes was killed when a 16-year-old driver being chased by auxiliary officer Lamont Aikens and Sgt. Janet Riley hit her car. The officers pursued Derion Henderson for driving 46 mph in a 30 zone. The officers initially claimed they stopped the chase at St. Louis Avenue. However, witness statements contradicted the police version. Aikens and Riley later said they resumed the chase after Henderson hit a witness' car. An attorney for Snipes' family said that claim was only made after the officers learned of the witness' statement. Henderson, who was sentenced to 17 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and vehicle tampering, said the police cruiser bumped him from behind, sending him into Snipes' car. Prosecutors charged Aikens with knowingly holding the commission of a police officer without a valid license, a misdemeanor. In 2013, Circuit Judge Dennis Smith acquitted Aikens. In June 2012, a St. Louis jury returned a $3.1 million verdict against Uplands Park for Snipes' death.
Community and Family Efforts
Additional Resources:
- https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/victim-s-family-bristles-at-sentence-in-chase-fatal-crash/article_6519ba1c-c413-5d92-a045-1df36784c31a.html added December 29, 2020 15:25
- https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/charges-allege-uplands-park-hired-unlicensed-officers/article_522d267c-2c33-5e7b-ae64-a9716cb8d0c9.html added December 29, 2020 15:25
- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dKmaV_JiWcG8XBoRgP8b4e9Eopkpgt7FL7nyspvzAsE/edit#gid=0 added December 29, 2020 14:51