ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A jury has convicted a man in a north St. Louis County shooting that left two people hurt and one paralyzed.
Robert Brefford, 35, was found guilty Thursday of first-degree assault and armed criminal action charges in the investigation.
The shooting happened on Feb. 1, 2019, in the 12000 block of Baresford Drive. Investigators say Brefford chased and shot at two men. One of the victims was paralyzed for more than a year with ongoing disabilities.
Another victim in the shooting was the boyfriend of Brefford’s sister. He reportedly called Brefford to her house to intervene in an altercation.
“I thank this jury for saying that St. Louis County is fed up with reckless gun violence and the notion that firing a gun is some kind of solution to a personal dispute,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. “We have to find a better way to solve our problems than picking up a gun.”
Brefford’s attorneys noted he fired the shots, but claimed he was acting in self-defense. The jury denied those claims.