Officer Claude Smith was shot and killed while assisting a sheriff's deputy search for a wanted man in the Vaughn Housing Project.  During the search, Officer Smith, in plain clothes, identified himself as a police officer and spoke to a youth who lived in the Vaughn Housing Complex at 1100 North 18th Street. The youth pulled a gun and shot Officer Smith, killing him.

Officer Smith had been a member of the St. Louis Police Department for seven years beginning in 1967. He was survived by his wife and 6-month-old son.