ST. LOUIS COUNTY – A backyard robbery that turned violent ended in a conviction Thursday for Lance McKinney, 29, who shot and robbed a neighborhood store owner.
Jurors in St. Louis County Circuit Court found McKinney guilty of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery — both Class A felonies — and armed criminal action.
Prosecutors said the attack happened late July 18 into the early morning of July 19, 2023. McKinney went to the victim’s home, where the victim ran a small neighborhood store out of his backyard, demanded money, shot the victim multiple times and took cash from his pockets. The shooting was captured on a backyard security camera, and the victim identified McKinney in a photo lineup.
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According to Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith, the victim said in court that he relied on the justice system for protection because, as a convicted felon, he could not legally carry a gun, and that the conviction holds a dangerous offender accountable…