Show-Me State Times

U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a man responsible for one fatal and one non-fatal shooting in Hayti, Missouri, in 2023 to 25 years in prison.

Eugene Winters, 44, of Hayti, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in November to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Winters admitted that on April 19, 2023, just before 7:30 p.m., he shot two people outside "The Store" at 301 Washington Street in Hayti. Winters told police that he argued with one man before going to his vehicle to retrieve his gun. The victim was sitting in his vehicle and Winters believed he had a gun, according to Winters’ plea agreement. They argued again, and Winters shot the victim from the driver’s side of the car before walking around to the passenger side and shooting the victim more times.

The second victim came out of the store and approached Winters, who started shooting at him. Winters followed that man into the store and fired two more shots while the victim was running away.

Hayti police arrived, and Winters threw down his gun and laid on the ground.

Both victims were taken to a local hospital and then by air ambulance to the Regional One Health Trauma Center in Memphis, Tennessee due to the seriousness of their injuries. One died.

Winters was a convicted felon and thus barred from possessing a firearm. His prior convictions include aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Due to those crimes, Winters qualified as an “armed career criminal,” meaning he faced 15 years to life in prison for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

The Hayti Police Department, Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Office, and Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, aiming 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; setting focused enforcement priorities; and measuring results.