ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis Circuit Court judge sentenced a man to five decades behind bars for his involvement in a shooting and robbery in the city's Academy neighborhood that left one injured two years ago.
Editor's note: The above-related video was originally broadcast on July 1, 2022.
According to a press release from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office on Friday, a judge sentenced Desmond Harris, 23, to 50 years in prison for shooting and injuring a 37-year-old man on June 3, 2022, in the 5000 block of Kensington Avenue. He was found guilty in February of first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and first-degree assault. He must consecutively serve the sentences for each count.
That day, the shooting victim came home from work and saw his ex-girlfriend's car parked outside of the apartment with the tailgate open, exposing belongings inside. When he walked up to his apartment, he also saw that the front door was ajar and his ex-girlfriend was inside. When he was about to enter, a man emerged from the darkness with a 9mm pistol, demanding the man's wallet and car keys. Harris and an accomplice, who has not been identified, shot the man 13 times and left the scene in the victim's car.
Harris and the victim's ex-girlfriend were relatives. The man survived but had extensive nerve damage to his leg, which required multiple surgeries.
A week later, the victim recognized Harris on the news when Harris was arrested after an attempted carjacking in the Fairground neighborhood on June 10, 2022. The victim called the police and identified Harris from a photo lineup as one of the suspects who shot him.
The carjacking happened near the intersection of Pleasant Street and Lee Avenue. A 1-year-old girl was shot during the carjacking and suffered brain damage. The woman driving the car was not injured.
Police said Harris had also been shot and was found in a nearby residence after the shooting. He was "barely conscious, but breathing" and transported to the hospital.
Harris was charged in connection with the carjacking but later found not guilty in the case.
“A young man who chose the path of violence will now likely spend the rest of his life in prison,” said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Our prosecution team did an outstanding job on this case and our community is safer for their efforts.”
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