Show-Me State Times

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a man involved in a shooting at a St. Louis gas station to 11 years in prison.

On August 8, 2022, Santino Taylor, 20, of University City, Missouri, was stopped by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers who were investigating a shooting at the Shell Gas Station at 2800 North Florissant Avenue two days earlier. In the car, they found a black 9mm pistol that was used in the shooting. They also discovered a magazine that fit the gun and 70 capsules containing fentanyl on Taylor.

The police investigation revealed the victim of the shooting had exchanged words with a man and was advised by the man to leave the gas station parking lot. The victim complied but returned shortly after. At that point, two men began shooting at the victim's vehicle. Police identified one of those shooters as Taylor. Taylor returned to the Shell two days later with a pistol tucked into his waistband.

Taylor pleaded guilty in March to three felonies: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted it.

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