HAWK POINT, Mo. — An O'Fallon, Missouri man has been charged with assault after punching a man and then shooting him in the stomach.
Austin Brazil has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
The incident happened Sunday night in Hawk Point, a town in Lincoln County.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a home on the 100 block of St. Michelle Street for a trespassing complaint.
Witnesses told police they heard a firearm discharge once near their residence and they saw a man standing outside a home. The witnesses detained the man while they waited for police to respond, thinking he was trespassing, police said.
While the man was being detained, Brazil walked onto the property and began punching him. Brazil left.
About two minutes later, Brazil returned and began assaulting the man again, police said. During the assault, Brazil shot the man in the stomach with his 9mm handgun.
The victim was taken to a St. Louis area hospital and is in serious condition.
It is not clear what the relationship is, if any, between the victim and Brazil or what may have lead up to the assault.
Brazil is in custody at the Lincoln County Jail.
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