Good Samaritan Picks Up Woman On Side Of Road. His Friend Left Car Because Of Her Weird Behavior. He Never Made It Out Alive
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A Missouri man known for helping strangers get where they needed to go was shot and killed after giving a woman a ride to a warming shelter, according to police and his family.
Authorities found William Palmer shot at a downtown St. Louis intersection shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday and pronounced him dead at the scene, First Alert 4 reported. Palmer had been collecting scrap metal the previous night when he met 36-year-old Brittany Rivoire at a gas station, his fiancée Riyen Jones said. Rivoire reportedly asked for a ride because she was cold.
“I used to tell him all the time not to pick up people off the side of the road anymore. He did it a lot. If he saw someone walking, he was picking them up and taking them as far as he could,” Jones said.
St. Louis City Police say William Palmer was shot and killed early Sunday morning. His family says he offered a ride to a woman who asked for help getting to a warming shelter. https://t.co/ke1W5AK0P2
— KMOV (@KMOV) February 4, 2026
Investigators said a friend who was traveling with Palmer became uneasy about Rivoire’s behavior and left the vehicle before the shooting. Security footage allegedly shows Rivoire firing a fatal shot to Palmer’s head, police said. She then reportedly drove his vehicle several blocks away before abandoning it.
Rivoire later reportedly caught a ride with another motorist before police arrested her, Fox2 Now reported. She has a previous conviction from 2024 for tampering with a motor vehicle. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has charged Rivoire with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. She is being held without bond.
Jones described Palmer as “the glue to our family” and “just a giver,” expressing disbelief over his death. “For somebody to take him for granted when all he was doing was helping her and then to do it to basically take his truck is… I can’t wrap my head around it,” she said.
The family said they still have questions about the events leading up to Palmer’s death despite the charges against Rivoire.
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