A 20-year-old woman is being held on $1 million cash-only bond after prosecutors say she shot and killed a Steak ‘n Shake employee through a drive-thru window following a dispute over onion rings in Spanish Lake, Missouri.
Jada Bell faces six felonies including first-degree murder after the April 8, 2026, shooting that left 32-year-old Chauncia Lashell Meekins dead and a male co-worker wounded. St. Louis County prosecutors filed charges on Monday, April 20, nearly two weeks after the late-night killing at the restaurant in the 11000 block of Bellefontaine Road.
Court records reveal the deadly confrontation began around 11:35 p.m. when a customer driving a white SUV complained at the window about not receiving a second order of onion rings. The dispute, captured on surveillance cameras, turned violent when the driver threw her drink at Meekins. After Meekins threw it back, police say Bell pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots. Meekins was pronounced dead at the scene. Her co-worker suffered a gunshot wound to the hand and was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Authorities characterized the attack as random, with no prior connection between Bell and Meekins. Family members confirmed Meekins had experienced no problems during her short time working at the location.
The arrest followed extensive detective work using cellphone tracking and surveillance technology, according to First Alert 4. Investigators traced Bell’s phone to the area during the shooting and tracked her movements throughout that day. The weapon remains missing, and Bell has refused to cooperate with police.
Bell appeared in court Tuesday and is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. A bond hearing was held April 28.
The victim’s mother, Tamela Washington, told KMOV that she and her daughter had talked just hours before the shooting about plans to celebrate Meekins’ upcoming birthday with a special meal.
“Her birthday is April 23,” Washington said. “Instead of celebrating her birthday, I will be burying my daughter for some senseless act over some onion rings.”
Meekins had been just over two weeks away from turning 33. She worked two jobs—at Steak ‘n Shake and Family Dollar—and had only been employed at the restaurant for a few months. Washington told NewsNation her daughter was “loving, caring, sweet-hearted,” adding, “She didn’t bother nobody.”
Her father, Chauncey Lovell Meekins, said learning the suspect was charged the day before his daughter’s burial brought him a measure of peace when he saw her at the funeral home. The funeral took place on April 21, a day after dozens gathered for a candlelight vigil outside the Steak ‘n Shake where loved ones released balloons in her memory.
At that vigil, Meekins’ family made clear they want the death penalty pursued against Bell. Her cousin, Anthony Willhite, said the family’s push for capital punishment aims to combat escalating violence over trivial disputes.
“As a family, as a whole, we will be pushing for the death penalty, not for revenge, but to set an example because we need to stop this type of senseless violence out here; it doesn’t make sense,” Willhite said. He added that the randomness of the attack should chill anyone who has ever pulled into a drive-thru: “Chauncia just so happened to be in harm’s way; this could have been anyone’s child, at the convenience store buying potato chips, at the gas station taking too long at the pump.”
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith has not committed to seeking capital punishment. She said Tuesday that death penalty decisions begin with the assigned homicide team, which prepares a memo and meets with her—a process that hasn’t happened yet in this case.
Detectives continue investigating whether anyone else was in the SUV with Bell and are working to locate the firearm. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477).
For the family Meekins left behind, the procedural questions feel small next to the central one her mother has asked since the night of April 8 — the question that still has no answer. “Who kills somebody over onion rings?”
