O'FALLON, Mo. — An 18-year-old man is the latest suspect to face charges related to a January home invasion that left a homeowner seriously injured.
The Office of Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch announced on Friday that Ronald W. Riley, 18, was certified as an adult and charged with accessory to robbery, accessory to burglary, accessory to assault and armed criminal action, all in the first-degree.
Hakizimana Claude, 18, was previously charged in the incident and remains in custody on a $2 million bond. A 15-year-old boy was also charged as an adult last week and remains in custody.
Editor's note: The above video was published on Jan. 13.
The home invasion occurred during the early morning hours of Jan. 13 on Hawksbury Place.
Police said four suspects in a gray Hyundai stolen out of St. Louis broke into the back door of a home. The four victims who lived in the house woke up to the noise and were confronted by the suspects when they went to investigate.
The suspects demanded money and forced the homeowner to hand over their car keys. One of the suspects then struck him in the face with a handgun despite his compliance, prosecutors said. The homeowner's daughter heard the commotion outside of her bedroom, locked the door, and called for help using Alexa, police said.
At some point during the robbery, one of the suspects fired a bullet that went through a wall and barely missed a little girl. They then left in the stolen Hyundai and the homeowner's vehicle.
The homeowner was left with a black eye and a deep gash on his nose, and at the scene, police recovered a gun stolen out of Florissant.
The suspects were taken into custody after two pursuits that both ended in crashes.
"It is a sad commentary that we are having to certify and prosecute defendants who are 15," McCulloch said in a Wednesday news release announcing the charges. "That said, violent crime will not be tolerated in St. Charles County no matter the age of the perpetrator."
Riley remains in custody on a $100,000 bond.