A convicted felon, Dexter McKinnies, admitted to shooting at officers from the St. Louis County Police Department on Monday. The plea was entered just as his trial was about to begin.
McKinnies, 34, pleaded guilty to five felony charges. These include one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts each of assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The incident occurred on September 1, 2020, when police attempted to arrest McKinnies as part of an operation involving the FBI Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force.
The police arranged a meeting with Dexter McKinnies and his brother Lawton McKinnies under the pretense that they would be performing maintenance work on a property in St. Louis County. During the operation, Lawton McKinnies was arrested while armed with a 9mm pistol due to an outstanding felony warrant. When officers attempted to apprehend Dexter McKinnies, he fled and fired multiple shots at them with another 9mm pistol, hitting an FBI-owned truck. Officers returned fire and hit Dexter McKinnies.
Dexter McKinnies is scheduled for sentencing on February 18, 2025, facing potential imprisonment ranging from 20 years to life due to his status as a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.
Lawton McKinnies has already pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and received a three-year prison sentence. He was given an additional year in March for violating supervised release conditions.
The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Boyce and Nichole Frankenberg are handling prosecution duties.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The initiative emphasizes building trust within communities, supporting organizations that prevent violence, focusing enforcement efforts strategically, and measuring outcomes effectively.
