A St. Louis County felon has entered a guilty plea for firing shots at law enforcement officers during an attempted arrest. Dexter McKinnies, 34, faced the commencement of his trial when he confessed to multiple felonies including illegal firearm possession and assault on federal officers. The situation unfolded on September 1, 2020, when McKinnies engaged in gunfire with members of the FBI's Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

The sting operation that went awry aimed to apprehend McKinnies under the guise of a maintenance job. When police attempted to also detain his brother, Lawton McKinnies, who was wanted on a felony warrant and found carrying a firearm, Dexter fled and began to shoot, striking an FBI vehicle. In the ensuing exchange, McKinnies was injured by return fire. Lawton has since been convicted and is serving a four-year sentence for firearm possession and violating his release terms.

Dexter McKinnies, with a history of felony convictions barring him from gun ownership, is set to be sentenced on February 18, 2025. He faces a potential life sentence, with a minimum of twenty years behind bars. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Boyce and Nichole Frankenberg are the case's prosecutors, following an investigation by the St. Louis County Police and the FBI.

This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at aggressively pursuing violent criminals and reducing gun violence. Since its enhancement in May 2021, PSN has integrated community-based efforts with strategic enforcement, anchored in fostering trust within communities and measuring the impact of these efforts.