Show-Me State Times

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County, Missouri, has been accused of committing a drug robbery while armed with a machine gun.

Walter C. Moore, 19, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, robbery, and possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence.

A June 5 indictment accuses Moore of robbing someone engaged in the sale of controlled substances on April 25. A motion seeking to have Moore held in jail until trial says he was armed with a Glock equipped with a “switch,” or auto sear, rendering it a fully automatic weapon. The Glock was also equipped with an extended magazine and a laser sight.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 30 years.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.