A woman was shot in the shoulder outside a McDonald's in St. Louis's Penrose neighborhood while her daughter was in the car, and the man accused of pulling the trigger remains behind bars without bond as his case heads toward court. The shooting happened Aug. 22 in the 4900 block of Natural Bridge Avenue, and the daughter was not hurt.
According to a probable-cause statement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 29-year-old Jayson M. Terry and another suspect drove to the McDonald's and opened fire on the woman as she sat in her car while her daughter was also in the car, as FOX 2 reported. Police said the woman was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to her shoulder. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has charged Terry with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Terry allegedly called the woman before the shooting and asked for her location, according to the station's report.
Surveillance Footage Central to the Case
The shooting itself was caught on surveillance video, the same account notes, giving investigators a direct look at the attack as it unfolded in the restaurant's parking lot. Police also said separate surveillance footage showed the second suspect picking Terry up at a residence in a car that was later spotted on the McDonald's surveillance system, tying the vehicle to the scene of the shooting.
That second suspect has not been identified in the available case materials, and it remains unclear whether that person faces any charges.
Child Endangerment Charge and the Law Behind It
Among the charges Terry faces is second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The woman's daughter was in the car when the gunfire erupted. Under Missouri law, that offense is generally classified as a class A misdemeanor unless it was committed as part of an act or series of acts by two or more people following an established or prescribed pattern, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. How that provision applies in Terry's case has not been determined.
Terry remains jailed without bond as his case moves forward. He has a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 19 and a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 10, according to the same report.
