A 33-year-old Ferguson man is facing first-degree assault and armed criminal action charges after police say he shot his brother in the cheek and neck during an argument inside their home on September 25. Montel Blanks remains held on a $100,000 cash-only bond at the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton, with a bond reduction hearing set for October 5 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 27.
Argument Escalates to Gunfire Inside Ferguson Home
According to First Alert 4, Ferguson police responded to the home after receiving a report of a shooting, and a probable cause statement describes the brother telling officers that Blanks shot him following the argument. Blanks reportedly admitted to police that he shot his brother. The bullet traveled through the victim's cheek and neck before lodging in the outer wall of a neighboring home, per the same account. As reported by KSDK, the formal charges were filed by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office after officers found the brother wounded at the residence.
The prosecuting attorney's office is led by Melissa Price Smith, who took office in January 2025 as the first woman to head the agency and who previously supervised its Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Her office oversees felony prosecutions across Ferguson and the rest of St. Louis County, including the charges now filed against Blanks.
Severe Penalties Loom Under Missouri Assault Law
Missouri classifies first-degree assault as a Class B felony carrying 5 to 15 years in prison, but the charge escalates to a Class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life imprisonment if the act results in serious physical injury to the victim, under Missouri Revised Statutes § 565.050, per MO.gov. The armed criminal action count adds further exposure. Under RSMo § 571.015, anyone convicted of committing a felony with a deadly weapon faces an additional, unclassified felony sentence of at least three years, with no eligibility for probation, parole, or conditional release during that term, according to the same state statute.
Missouri law also maintains a separate first-degree domestic assault statute, RSMo § 565.072, which uses the term “domestic victim” and refers to a definition in § 565.002, per WomensLaw.org. Blanks faces first-degree assault and armed criminal action charges in this case.
Bond Hearing Looms as Key Test
Blanks is scheduled for a bond reduction hearing on October 5. He remains held on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
