Judge sentences St. Peters man for being a felon in possession of a firearm

 ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Rico Willis to 60 months in prison today. The 23-year-old St. Peters, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Officers from the St. Peters Police Department answered a ‘shots fired’ call at a home on Spencer Trail on October 31, 2018. A woman, identified as Willis’ girlfriend, was shot in the leg. Willis witnessed the shooting. After the shooting, Willis ran from the scene with a firearm. Willis thought the shooters was pursuing him. As Willis approached a cul-de-sac, he turned and fired at the car following him.

The bullet struck the street in front of the car. Willis dropped the gun in a nearby park, but officers recovered it. Surveillance video captured Willis firing the gun. He admitted firing the gun in the direction of the car. Police recovered a spent bullet from the street. The shooting of Willis’ girlfriend remains under investigation.

The St. Peters Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul D’Agrosa handled the case.