St. Louis rapper Rasheme Bridges, better known as Benji Bam or simply “Bam,” has been identified by people in the local music community as the 26-year-old man killed after a traffic crash was followed by gunfire on Goodfellow Boulevard on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Police said two vehicles travelling southbound crashed near Natural Bridge Avenue at around 6:30 p.m., and shots were fired moments later. Officers found the victim critically wounded and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Bridges was known in St. Louis music as one half of the Benji Brothers alongside rapper Kelton Rucker, known professionally as Benji Kellz.
Rasheme Bridges, known professionally as rapper Benji Bam, was reportedly the 26-year-old man killed after a two-vehicle crash on Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis was followed by gunfire on August 27, 2026. Police initially detained two people while homicide detectives investigated the circumstances. Authorities had not immediately determined who fired first or who was the aggressor.
Benji Bam Shooting Followed Crash on Goodfellow
The deadly encounter unfolded Thursday evening in the Wells-Goodfellow area of St. Louis.
According to police information reported locally, a minivan and a Toyota were both travelling southbound on Goodfellow Boulevard when the vehicles collided south of the Natural Bridge Avenue roundabout.
Gunfire broke out sometime after the collision.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said investigators were initially trying to determine exactly how the confrontation developed and who was responsible for escalating it.
A 26-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
He was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Victim | Rasheme Bridges, reportedly identified as Benji Bam |
| Stage names | Benji Bam, Bam |
| Age | Approximately 26 |
| City | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Date | August 27, 2026 |
| Location | Goodfellow Blvd near Natural Bridge Ave |
| Incident | Vehicle crash followed by shooting |
| Cause of death | Gunshot injuries |
| Investigation | Homicide investigation |
| Initial detentions | At least two people |
| Musical group | Benji Brothers |
Police and ATF Agents Were Nearby
The response to the shooting was particularly rapid because law-enforcement officers were already close to the scene.
District 5 officers and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were reportedly conducting an unrelated traffic stop a few blocks away when they heard the crash followed by gunshots.
They moved immediately toward Goodfellow Boulevard.
Investigators found two damaged vehicles and the critically wounded victim.
Local reporting indicates at least two individuals connected to the vehicles were detained while detectives began sorting through what happened. Authorities initially said they were not actively looking for additional people connected with the incident.
Who Was Rapper Benji Bam?
Rapper Benji Bam was the stage name of St. Louis musician Rasheme Bridges.
His identity and music career are supported by federal records dating back several years.
In October 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri identified:
Rasheme Bridges, aka “Bam” or “Benji Bam”
alongside:
Kelton Rucker, aka “Kellz” or “Benji Kellz.”
Federal prosecutors described both men as St. Louis rappers known together as the Benji Brothers.
That official record provides unusually strong confirmation connecting Rasheme Bridges with the Benji Bam stage name.
Benji Bam Was 26, Not 19
Some early posts have described Bridges as 19 years old.
That appears to come from an older federal record.
When federal prosecutors identified Rasheme Bridges in October 2019, they stated that he was 19 years old at that time.
Seven years later, in August 2026, Bridges would be approximately 26.
That calculation also matches police reporting from Thursday’s homicide, which described the victim as a 26-year-old man.
Therefore, the best-supported age for Benji Bam at the time of his death is 26.
Benji Brothers and Kelton “Benji Kellz” Rucker
Bridges was closely associated musically with Kelton Rucker, known as Benji Kellz.
Together they performed under the name Benji Brothers.
Federal prosecutors publicly used that name when discussing Bridges and Rucker in 2019, confirming that their musical partnership was established well before the 2026 shooting.
Some community posts describe the pair as brothers.
However, the official federal material confirms them as the “Benji Brothers” rap duo but does not establish whether they were biological siblings.
For that reason, it is safer to describe Rucker as Bridges’ musical partner unless family members provide confirmation of a biological relationship.
Surveillance Video Being Reviewed
Investigators reportedly began examining surveillance footage from businesses near the crash and shooting scene.
Cameras associated with nearby businesses as well as St. Louis’ Real Time Crime Center could help detectives reconstruct the moments between the collision and the gunfire.
Police were initially working to answer several important questions:
Who started the confrontation?
Who fired the shots?
How many people were armed?
And what happened between the crash and the shooting?
Local reports said multiple occupants were associated with the two vehicles, making the early investigation more complicated.
Two People Initially Detained
Authorities initially detained at least two people at the scene.
That distinction matters.
Being detained during an investigation does not necessarily mean a person has been arrested or charged with a crime.
Early police reporting said investigators were still determining the roles played by people associated with both vehicles.
Police also had not initially determined who was the aggressor.
A later account supplied following the shooting claims that a 23-year-old man named Italo Wade was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
However, that charging update could not yet be independently confirmed through a current St. Louis Circuit Attorney, police or established local-news report available at the time this article was prepared.
It should therefore be treated as a developing claim until official charging records become available.
What Caused Benji Bam’s Death?
The Benji Bam cause of death was gunshot injuries sustained during the Goodfellow Boulevard shooting.
Police said the victim was critically wounded and taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The vehicle collision itself was not reported as the direct cause of his death.
Instead, the crash appears to have preceded the confrontation that ended in gunfire.
The exact sequence remains under investigation.
Homicide Investigation Continues
Following the victim’s death, detectives began treating the incident as a homicide investigation.
Goodfellow Boulevard was temporarily affected while investigators processed the scene, photographed evidence and reviewed available video.
Police were also expected to interview witnesses and the people associated with both vehicles.
The Wells-Goodfellow shooting remains a developing case, and additional information about the victim, alleged shooter and possible criminal charges may emerge as police and prosecutors complete their investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Benji Bam?
Benji Bam was the stage name of St. Louis rapper Rasheme Bridges. Federal records identify Bridges as “Bam” and “Benji Bam” and connect him with Kelton “Benji Kellz” Rucker as the rap duo known as the Benji Brothers.
How did rapper Benji Bam die?
Benji Bam reportedly died from gunshot wounds after a traffic collision on Goodfellow Boulevard was followed by gunfire on August 27, 2026. Police said the 26-year-old victim was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
Has anyone been charged in Benji Bam’s shooting?
Police initially confirmed that at least two people were detained while detectives investigated. A later account says Italo Wade, 23, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, but that specific charging update had not yet been independently confirmed through an authoritative public record at the time of writing.
Conclusion
The killing of rapper Benji Bam, whose real name was Rasheme Bridges, has brought another loss to the St. Louis music community.
Bridges was approximately 26 years old and had been known for years through his work with the Benji Brothers alongside Kelton “Benji Kellz” Rucker. Federal records dating to 2019 independently confirm his Benji Bam stage name and St. Louis music connection.
His death came after a collision involving two vehicles on Goodfellow Boulevard near Natural Bridge Avenue on August 27. Gunfire followed, leaving Bridges critically wounded. He later died at a hospital.
Detectives are continuing to reconstruct what happened between the crash and the shooting. Until prosecutors or police release a confirmed charging update, allegations about who fired the fatal shots should be treated carefully as the investigation continues.