Cortez Bufford

A St. Louis police officer shot and killed Cortez Bufford in December 2019. He claimed self-defense. But journalist Alison Flowers believes her forensic analysis demonstrates that he could not have been telling the truth.

On Dec. 12, 2019, near the corner of Bates and Virginia in St. Louis’ Carondelet neighborhood, 24-year-old Cortez Bufford died after being shot multiple times by St. Louis Police officer Lucas Roethlisberger. The case has remained shrouded in darkness, as investigative journalists Alison Flowers and Sam Stecklow detail in their newly published deep dive.