In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, January 17, 2026, a fatal pedestrian crash occurred on a major roadway in North County, St. Louis. The St. Louis County Police Department responded to reports of a motor vehicle crash near the 9000 block of Lucas and Hunt Road, a thoroughfare that runs through the Normandy area, shortly after 4:45 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a male pedestrian in the roadway who had been struck by a vehicle. The victim was identified as 30-year-old Ka’Ontee Johnson of St. Louis. Emergency medical personnel were summoned to the scene, but Johnson was pronounced dead at the location. The driver of the vehicle involved in the crash remained at the scene and is fully cooperating with the ongoing police investigation.
A preliminary investigation by the St. Louis County Police Department’s Accident Reconstruction Unit indicates that Johnson was in the roadway when he was struck. The exact circumstances that led him to be in the travel lanes at that early hour are still under investigation. Authorities have stated that speed does not appear to be a primary factor in the crash at this time.
The St. Louis County Police are leading the investigation to determine the full sequence of events. Detectives are working to ascertain why Ka’Ontee Johnson was in the roadway and whether any additional factors contributed to the tragedy. The stretch of Lucas and Hunt Road where the incident occurred was closed for several hours as investigators processed the scene, documented evidence, and cleared the roadway.
This incident marks a continuation of a troubling trend of pedestrian fatalities in the St. Louis region. The death of Ka’Ontee Johnson has prompted renewed calls from community leaders and traffic safety advocates for improved pedestrian infrastructure and heightened awareness from both drivers and pedestrians, especially on high-speed roads during low-light conditions.
The investigation remains active, and the St. Louis County Police Department urges anyone with additional information about the crash to contact them. As the community mourns this loss, the case underscores the critical need for safety measures to protect vulnerable road users.