ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis family is mourning the loss of a man they describe as the heart of their family, after his life was taken during what they say was a simple act of compassion.
According to 21 Alive, William Palmer was found shot just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday and was pronounced dead at the scene. His family says Palmer was killed after offering a ride to a woman who asked for help getting to a warming shelter on a cold night.
Those closest to him say that helping others was simply who Palmer was.
“I used to tell him all the time not to pick up people off the side of the road anymore,” said his fiancée, Riyen Jones. “He did it a lot. If he saw someone walking, he was picking them up and taking them as far as he could.”
Jones says Palmer had been out collecting scrap metal Saturday night — something he loved to do — when he encountered the woman, later identified by police as 36-year-old Brittany Rivoire. As far as the family knows, Jones said, the woman asked Palmer for a ride to a warming shelter because she was cold.
Investigators say a friend of Palmer’s was also in the truck at the time but got out after becoming concerned about Rivoire’s behavior.
Police say surveillance cameras later captured Rivoire shooting Palmer in the head. Authorities allege she then drove his truck a few blocks before abandoning it. Rivoire now faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, and is being held in jail without bond, according to court records.
“For somebody to take him for granted when all he was doing was helping her — and then to do it basically to take his truck — I can’t wrap my mind around it,” Jones said.
Palmer is remembered as a devoted partner, father, and grandfather — someone Jones called “the glue to our family.” He leaves behind a fiancée, three children, and a grandson.
While charges have been filed, the family says their grief is far from over.
“Nothing’s ever gonna replace him. Nothing’s ever gonna fix the situation,” Jones said. “We just want justice for him.”
A GoFundMe has been created to help the family with funeral expenses as they navigate life without the man they say always put others first.
