St. Louis man gets 15 years after shooting at a St. Louis locksmith

                A convicted felon who was wounded during an exchange of gunfire with a locksmith in St. Louis was sentenced Monday to 15 years in federal prison.

Donnel Trotter, 51, pleaded guilty in July to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

The case stemmed from a shooting Nov. 12, 2024, after a locksmith was dispatched to unlock Trotter’s truck in an alley behind the 4700 block of Nebraska in St. Louis. Trotter admitted that he and the locksmith argued over payment before Trotter moved toward the locksmith while reaching for his gun.

The locksmith drew his own firearm and shot Trotter. Trotter returned fire and continued shooting as the locksmith retreated. Both men were wounded during the exchange.

The locksmith fled the scene and contacted police. Officers later located Trotter at a hospital, where he was seeking medical treatment.

Investigators recovered two 9 mm shell casings that matched the locksmith’s firearm and 12 spent .40-caliber shell casings.

Trotter’s status as a convicted felon prohibits him from possessing firearms or ammunition. He has a criminal history dating to 1993, including three previous federal convictions for serious drug offenses, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke.

Trotter faced enhanced penalties as an armed career criminal who used the ammunition in connection with a crime of violence.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.

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