The Destructive Path of Garrett Jordan, aka ‘YELLOTAPEE’
What We Know About The Documented Kount Up Boyz (KUB) Gang Member Charged in 16-year-old Colin Brown’s Death.
Originally published on LouLeaks, this investigative piece has also been published here on STLFILES to reach a broader audience
Garrett Jordan is a documented gang member and aspiring street rapper affiliated with the Kount Up Boyz, a criminal street gang based in North St. Louis. Known as an assassin and drug trafficker, Jordan operates mainly in St. Louis city and North Saint Louis county. His weapons of choice? A Glock equipped with a full-auto switch and a fully automatic AR-15. Jordan is feared on the streets, and many of his alliances with other criminal gangs are rumored to be built on that fear. In addition to his membership with the Kount Up Boyz, Jordan is connected to several other gangs. Among them are the “6ixx Gang,” a deadly group in the Walnut Park neighborhood potentially linked to the recent murder of a 15-year-old rival gang member, and another Northside gang infamous for recruiting a 13-year-old boy—an act they brazenly flaunted on camera, as reported by Jason Rivera on X.
On December 20, 2017, Garrett Jordan was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, to which he pleaded guilty in July 2018. By October of that year, he was sentenced to time served. But just two months after his release, on December 25, 2018, Jordan encountered Maurice Lee, the leader of a rival gang, at a gas station in Ferguson, Missouri. Jordan opened fire on Lee’s vehicle but missed, instead striking an innocent bystander who was pumping gas. The victim, an unidentified man, was hospitalized in critical condition following the shooting. At the time, Lee was out on bond for an incident in St. Charles, Missouri, earlier that year, where he and Maricus Futrell carjacked a Good Samaritan. About four months after Jordan’s attempt on his life, Lee was indicted by federal authorities in a RICO case, along with a co-defendant, Juan Gonzalez, who’s tied to the Sinaloa Cartel. In a proffer statement, Lee detailed, among many other things, the ongoing deadly conflict between his gang and the Kount Up Boyz. Despite Jordan’s involvement in the Ferguson shooting, no charges were ever filed.
A month after Maurice Lee’s indictment, Garrett Jordan was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm. In November 2019, he was charged in a superseding indictment alongside Trevor Brothers and Martez Stevenson. By August 2020, Jordan pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a charge carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He admitted to being a passenger in a stolen car pursued by the SLMPD, which crashed after spike strips were deployed. Jordan fled on foot, leaving behind a bag that contained a 10mm pistol and a rifle magazine loaded with 19 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition.
In March 2021, Jordan was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. His co-defendant, Martez Stevenson, was the first to accept a plea deal in the case. In July 2020, Stevenson was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day, followed by three years of supervised release, with the government dismissing 4 out of 5 charges. However, Stevenson was arrested again in August 2022 for a violation and sentenced to another 12 months. He was released in April 2023.
Not long after Jordan completed his sentence and Stevenson was released from his violation, Stevenson was gunned down in North St. Louis. While police have reportedly never identified a suspect, Jordan is widely rumored to be the shooter. Allegedly, Jordan believed Stevenson had cooperated with federal authorities in the 2019 case.
While Jordan was in prison, his younger brother, Misean Hines, was shot and killed in the backseat of a car in Normandy on August 7, 2022. Hines’ death intensified the already violent gang war in St. Louis. The police never apprehended the killer, but Jordan made it clear that anyone connected to or even mentioning his brother’s death would face deadly consequences. The suspected killer, allegedly a rival gang member from North St. Louis known as “RGB Willy,” aka “1Tap,” was recently threatened by Jordan in a rap video released on December 6.
On October 11, 2023, Jordan allegedly executed 19-year-old rival gang member and street rapper Latrell Prentice, known as “CurryB.” Prentice’s body was found in an alley in the 3400 block of Osage Street in Dutchtown. Allegedly, Prentice was lured to the alley under the guise of meeting a drug customer, who was secretly working with Jordan. After completing the drug deal, Prentice was ambushed and shot in the head.
The rumored motive for the killing was Prentice’s frequent disrespect of Jordan’s late brother, Misean Hines, in his rap lyrics. Jordan allegedly fired over 30 rounds at Prentice, reportedly making a chilling reference to Prentice’s stage name and NBA player Stephen Curry’s jersey number, 30. Despite the brutality of the crime, no charges were filed, and police reported no suspects in the case.
In February 2024, Garrett Jordan was arrested for another supervised release violation. By April, his release was officially revoked, and he was sentenced to 8 months in prison, to be served consecutively with his sentence from the 2019 case. Jordan was released from custody in October 2024. A little over a month later, on November 23, 2024, police linked Jordan to the ongoing investigation into Colin Brown’s homicide. A probable cause statement revealed that Christopher Taylor and Karl Andris had gone to Downtown St. Louis on the night of November 23 to purchase cocaine. After the transaction, they returned to Taylor’s residence at 5615 Minnesota Avenue, near I-55 and close to the site where Colin Brown was shot. At Taylor’s residence, the two distributed the cocaine they had just bought. Investigators also discovered that Jordan had been living at the same address. After distributing the drugs, Andris left Taylor’s residence, armed with a handgun the entire time.
Surveillance footage seized by investigators showed a dark Audi parked in front of 5615 Minnesota Avenue shortly before the highway shooting and returning there afterward. Moments before the shooting, the Audi was captured on video following an unidentified male victim onto I-55. According to the victim, he was shot while entering the interstate after leaving a residence on Minnesota Avenue. Investigators recovered over 20 cartridge casings from the scene—both handgun and rifle rounds—indicating multiple shooters. The weapons used were likely fully automatic. A search warrant for Jordan’s phone revealed that it had been in the Audi before, during, and after the shooting. Additionally, the Audi’s license plate was traced to an address owned by Jordan’s relatives. During questioning, Jordan admitted the phone belonged to him and that no one else had been using it. Further implicating him, Jason Rivera posted a screenshot on X showing Jordan sitting in the back seat of the Audi with another known shooter and street rapper, “C4 Murda,” in a rap video.
Tragically, Colin Brown is believed to have been killed by a bullet fired from the Audi, with investigators identifying Garrett Jordan as the suspected shooter. Jordan has been arrested and charged with six offenses, including First-Degree Murder, Shooting at/from a Motor Vehicle Resulting in Death, and three counts of Armed Criminal Action. Investigators believe the highway shooting is tied to Jordan’s drug trafficking operations. On December 13, multiple suspects were charged with drug distribution and related crimes. The day before, authorities executed a search warrant at 4241 Chippewa Street, where they apprehended Melvin Jenkins, Kalvyn Owens, and Alexcehundra Taylor (not a relative of Christopher Taylor). Jenkins, who owns the property, resides there with Taylor and their 2-year-old child. Police seized approximately 190 grams of narcotics, hidden within the walls, which lab tests later confirmed to contain fentanyl and cocaine. Officers also confiscated several firearms and a phone from Owens, which contained text messages regarding drug sales. Owens admitted to living at the residence and claimed ownership of an assault rifle found under a couch. Investigators have not yet confirmed whether any of the firearms were used in the November 23 shooting on I-55.
The violence didn’t end there. The day after the I-55 shooting, while Colin Brown was in the hospital fighting for his life, at least 80 rounds were fired near the Dome at America’s Center in Downtown St. Louis. The chaotic scene spanned two blocks in Columbus Square. The shootout left two East St. Louis residents, Damon Lawson, 26, and Darrien Abrams, 20, dead. Witnesses described hearing what sounded like a machine gun, and St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy confirmed that shots were fired from a vehicle. While some neighbors suspected a home invasion sparked the gunfire, the exact circumstances remain unclear. A week later, a 17-year-old was shot by a man driving a dark sedan in the same Columbus Square area. Police have not released any details about this shooting. However, certain indicators—including reports of machine-gun fire, the high volume of shots, an uptick in drug activity on Carr Street, and Jordan’s known connections to drug trafficking in the area—suggest the possibility of Jordan’s involvement in these Downtown St. Louis shootings.
Garrett Jordan’s disturbing path of death and destruction has finally culminated in the tragic death of Colin Brown, a 16-year-old CBC hockey player and beloved son of a retired Illinois State Police officer. For years, Jordan’s criminal activities were ignored, his escalating violence unchecked. Why did it take the death of a young man like Colin—a child of promise, with his whole life ahead of him—for the system to act? Colin Brown’s story won't simply fade into the background of St. Louis’ violent statistics. Let his name echo not just in grief, but as a call to action. Public safety isn’t a privilege, it is a basic right. And until justice is swift, consistent, and thorough, no family—regardless of their profile—will ever truly feel safe.