ST. LOUIS, MO  (September 2, 2025) — A judge sentenced Deshawn Lydell Snider, 19, to 18 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after he pled guilty Tuesday to first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and first-degree property damage.

In the early morning hours of June 23, 2024, Snider fired a pistol from the rear driver-side passenger seat of a dark four-door sedan near South Jefferson Avenue and Park Avenue in the Gate District. Surveillance video showed Snider aiming at a white SUV while firing. A bullet struck the SUV’s driver in the head, causing a brain injury.

Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said, “This defendant fired into an occupied vehicle and left an innocent driver with a life-altering injury. Gun violence of this kind endangers every resident of our city. This sentence delivers a measure of justice for his actions and reinforces our commitment to achieving a higher level of public safety for St. Louis.”

Snider was on active probation for tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree and felony fleeing at the time of the shooting. Snider’s probation was revoked, and he was sentenced to five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Assistant Circuit Attorneys Allan Kaiser and Kerri Davis prosecuted the case.

The case number is 2422-CR02436-01.