ST. LOUIS, MO  (June 22, 2026) — Davon Blair, 34, was sentenced Monday to 18 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action for shooting a 12-year-old boy during a drive-by shooting in the City's Baden neighborhood.

On December 16, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Blair drove a black sedan into an alley behind a residence in the 8700 block of Canaan Avenue. He stopped the vehicle, got out carrying an AR-15-style rifle, and fired multiple rounds at the occupied home before fleeing.

One of the rounds struck a 12-year-old boy, causing a through-and-through gunshot wound to the buttocks and serious physical injury. The gunfire also damaged the home's storm door, window, and exterior brick.

Investigators used witness statements, surveillance footage, spent rifle cartridge casings, and other physical evidence to identify Blair as the shooter.

"A home should be a place of safety, not a place where families fear being caught in the crossfire of someone else's grievance. The defendant's actions put every person inside that residence at risk and left a child seriously injured. Today's sentence holds him accountable for a decision that endangered an entire household," said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Paris Bateman prosecuted the case.

The defendant's case number is 2622-CR00020-01.