A quiet Sunday morning in Spanish Lake turned violent when a 63-year-old man was shot and critically wounded on Lakeridge Drive, and a Normandy neighbor now faces serious felony charges. Prosecutors have charged 62-year-old William Borak after St. Louis County officers responded to the 13000 block of Lakeridge Drive just after 8:17 a.m. Investigators say the victim was struck at least once in the chest and taken to a St. Louis-area hospital with life-threatening injuries. Authorities arrested Borak at the scene without incident, and he was booked into the St. Louis County jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
Charges and police account
According to KSDK, prosecutors charged Borak with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Police say a verbal argument escalated when Borak displayed a handgun and fired two shots, one of which hit the 63-year-old man in the chest. Officers took Borak into custody at the scene before transporting him to the county jail.
How the charges are treated under Missouri law
Under Missouri law, assault in the first degree is defined as attempting to kill or knowingly causing or attempting to cause serious physical injury, as laid out in RSMo §565.050. Armed criminal action, an add-on applied when a felony is committed with a deadly weapon, is an unclassified felony with mandatory minimum prison time that must be served consecutively, per RSMo §571.015. The unlawful use of a weapon statute is a broad catchall that can cover everything from brandishing a gun to firing it, and it can be charged in several different ways; a breakdown is available in this legal commentary on RSMo §571.030.
Spanish Lake's recent violence
Spanish Lake and neighboring north-county communities have been dealing with a string of shootings in recent months, with local outlets tracking several high-profile cases. Hoodline previously reported on a separate incident in which a 23-Year-Old Man Charged in the death of a teen in Spanish Lake. The latest arrest on Lakeridge Drive adds to growing concern over gun violence in the area and is likely to stay on the radar of both residents and prosecutors.
What's next
Borak remained in the St. Louis County jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond, according to KSDK, while prosecutors move forward with formal charging documents in county court. No arraignment date had been reported as of the latest update, and upcoming hearings should appear in court filings. Authorities said anyone with additional information about the shooting is urged to contact St. Louis County investigators.
