Police say the suspect is linked to two earlier robberies days before the shooting.
ST. LOUIS, MO — A former Team USA synchronized figure skater and local coach was shot to death Feb. 10 while sitting in a Starbucks drive-thru in south St. Louis, in what police say was an armed robbery that ended within moments. A 58-year-old man was later arrested and charged with murder and robbery counts.
The killing of Gabrielle “Sam” Linehan, 28, shocked a close-knit skating community and drew broader attention because it happened in broad daylight at a busy business near Tower Grove Park. Investigators say the suspect’s clothing and actions match two earlier robberies in the same area, raising questions about how police identify patterns across cases and when public alerts are issued. Authorities say their investigation remains active and that the suspect is being held without bond as the case moves through court.
St. Louis police said officers were sent just after 10 a.m. to the 2300 block of South Grand Avenue, where they found a woman inside a vehicle in the Starbucks drive-thru who was unresponsive and had been shot. Emergency crews took her to a hospital, where she later died. Police said surveillance cameras captured the suspect leaving on foot, wearing a bright reflective safety vest and a white hard hat. Investigators later identified the victim as Linehan, a longtime coach in the area’s synchronized skating programs. In the days after her death, friends and fellow skaters described her as quick to laugh, devoted to young athletes, and the kind of coach who brought calm to a stressful sport.
Court documents described the Feb. 10 encounter as a robbery that escalated in seconds. Investigators say the gunman approached Linehan’s vehicle, pointed a gun, and demanded that she raise her hands before he shot her. Police say the suspect then stole her bank cards and her driver’s license. Authorities identified the suspect as Keith Lamon Brown, 58, who was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree robbery, four counts of armed criminal action, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. Police said he was armed when taken into custody and that a SWAT team executed a search warrant at his home, where detectives said they found items connected to the earlier robberies as well as clothing seen in surveillance images.
Investigators say the case ties together three incidents along South Grand and North Grand in less than a week. Prosecutors allege that on Feb. 6, Brown pointed a gun at a woman in a Jack in the Box drive-thru on South Grand and stole items that included a 9mm handgun, a purse with bank cards, and cell phones belonging to the woman and her daughter. Court records also allege that on Feb. 8, Brown walked into a Dollar General on North Grand, pointed a gun at a cashier, and demanded money. Police said shots were fired after the Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 robberies, but no one was injured. Investigators say surveillance video in the three cases shows the same neon safety vest and hard hat, and that the similarities became clearer to detectives after the Feb. 10 homicide.
Questions about public warnings surfaced quickly because the two earlier robberies also involved a gun and shots fired. Police spokesman Mitch McCoy said investigators did not immediately tie the earlier crimes together because the forensic picture was still taking shape. “At that point, we were just beginning to understand there was a potential pattern,” McCoy said in a televised interview, adding that it became clear after the homicide that the same person was responsible for the earlier crimes. In a separate statement provided to NBC News, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said information can change as forensic results come in, video is reviewed, witnesses are interviewed, and investigative links are confirmed. The department said the safety of the community is its top priority and that the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Linehan’s death left a visible gap across rinks and training programs that rely on volunteers and coaches who often work long hours for modest pay. She coached at Metro Edge Figure Skating Club and worked with St. Louis Synergy synchronized teams, which compete under U.S. Figure Skating. Friends said she coached children roughly ages 5 to 16, teaching skills but also building confidence for skaters who spend early mornings and late nights practicing. Jamie Mathews Schieler, a former coach, said Linehan was simply starting her day when she was attacked. “She was starting her day and getting coffee at Starbucks,” Mathews Schieler said. “It’s just the unfortunate horrific situation of wrong place, wrong time. It’s heartbreaking.” Another skater, Ashley Klotz, said Linehan poured herself into her students and believed every child could improve with patient instruction.
Her skating résumé was best known in synchronized skating, a team-based discipline that combines speed, footwork, and formation changes. Linehan competed with St. Louis Synergy and represented the sport nationally, including a junior team that won a silver medal at the 2014 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. A U.S. Figure Skating spokesperson, Kristen Henneman, confirmed her national-level competition history and said the sport’s community was mourning. In a statement to NBC News, the president of Metro Edge Figure Skating Club called the loss sudden and “profoundly heartbreaking,” saying Linehan would be deeply missed and always remain part of the community. Ramona Peterson, a longtime coach who knew Linehan since she was 10, told local media that the death felt personal and enduring, describing it as losing someone who had become family.
The criminal case is now moving through St. Louis courts while police continue to review evidence from the three incidents. Brown is being held at the St. Louis City Justice Center without bond, according to local reporting and court dockets. A court appearance is scheduled for March 11, records reviewed by national outlets show. Investigators have not said whether additional charges are expected, but police have described the case as spanning multiple scenes, multiple victims, and extensive video review. Starbucks did not immediately comment publicly in national reporting, and police have not released further details about Linehan’s final moments beyond the robbery allegations in court documents.
As the legal process begins, the skating community has turned its attention to supporting young athletes who saw Linehan daily and are now returning to practice without her. Friends said the grief has been mixed with anger over the randomness of the shooting and the sense that a routine morning stop ended in violence. Brown’s next scheduled court date is March 11, when the case is expected to advance and prosecutors may outline the evidence they plan to present.
Author note: Last updated February 17, 2026.