A St. Louis County jury has convicted 29-year-old Lance McKinney in the July 2023 shooting of his neighbor, who ran a backyard store out of his home. Jurors found McKinney guilty of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action after prosecutors said he went to the man’s house, demanded cash, shot him multiple times and then took money from his pockets. The entire encounter was captured on surveillance video, which became a central piece of evidence. McKinney is scheduled to be sentenced in March.
According to First Alert 4, prosecutors told jurors the confrontation began when McKinney demanded money at the home before opening fire. The victim survived and later took the stand to describe the ordeal for the jury, which ultimately returned guilty verdicts on all three charges.
"He put his faith in the system," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said of the victim’s decision to rely on the courts, according to First Alert 4. Smith praised the outcome as a step toward protecting the community from what prosecutors characterized as a dangerous man. Testimony that the victim, a convicted felon, does not carry a firearm was a key emotional moment in the courtroom.
Prosecutor’s Approach And Local Context
Since taking over the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office, Melissa Price Smith has made cutting gun violence a central focus. She has reinstated a Violent Crime Unit and said her team will not offer probation for crimes committed with a gun, according to Spectrum News. Her office says it has reduced case backlogs and pushed violent cases more quickly to trial, changes prosecutors argue are aimed at improving public safety.
What Comes Next
McKinney is set to return to court in March for sentencing, when a judge will hear arguments and decide his punishment. For neighbors and local advocates, the verdict underscores how surveillance footage and a hard-line approach to gun crime are shaping outcomes in violent-crime cases in St. Louis County.
