St. Louis County Man Sentenced After Shooting Girlfriend

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a man who shot and wounded his girlfriend in 2024 to 54 months in prison.

Demetrius D. Vaughn, 31, pleaded guilty in August to being a felon in possession of firearms. He admitted that on May 6, 2024, his then-girlfriend told Saint Louis County Police Department officers that she’d been shot after a dispute with Vaughn. Vaughn fired six to seven shots from the balcony of his apartment at his girlfriend and her friends, striking his girlfriend in both legs. Officers arrested Vaughn later that day and found two handguns. One had been stolen. As a prior felon, Vaughn is prohibited from possessing firearms.

The Saint Louis County Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag prosecuted the case.