Man charged with first-degree murder in St. Louis MetroLink shooting

Charges were filed against a St. Louis man Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the fatal MetroLink shooting on April 17.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charge Quinton Howard, 23, of the 6000 block of Thekla in St. Louis, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the shooting death of a MetroLink passenger, Manu Barge, 31, of St. Louis, on Sunday.

St. Louis Police responded to the call of a shooting on the MetroLink train at the Forest Park-Debaliviere Station just after midnight. Officers found Barge with a gunshot wound to his ear inside the eastbound train. Barge was pronounced dead on the scene by EMS.

An investigation was conducted by the St Louis Homicide Division.

Bi-State Development operates the MetroLink light-rail system, which also serves the metro-east region of Illinois. The agency released the following statement by President and CEO Taulby Roach:

“Very early this morning (April 17), there was an argument and shooting between two passengers on an eastbound Blue Line train at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station. Sadly, the victim of this senseless act of violence has died.

“The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is leading the investigation, so questions should be directed to them. As is standard procedure, video and other relevant evidence is secured and provided to our police partners as we work closely to support their investigation.

“This level of gun violence is shocking, and we are often frustrated on how to prevent such random acts in our community. However, we are hopeful that our resources and assistance with our police partners will solve this case.

“In cooperation with our police partners, Metro Transit has made many improvements to safety and security over the last two and a half years, and we will continue to invest in security and strong police partnerships now and in the future. This random act of violence is truly disappointing, but our transit community is worth fighting for.”

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division directly at 314-444-5371. Anyone with a tip who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a reward can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.

The shooting comes less than a month after a car crashed into the side of a MetroLink train in Washington Park and burst into flames. The driver, who was critically injured, had driven around crossing gates along the track, according to officials.