ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI — A St. Louis delivery driver is facing felony charges after police say he shot a man in the leg who was attempting to steal sodas from his delivery truck in the early morning hours Wednesday near the Embassy Suites in downtown St. Louis.
The incident occurred shortly before 4 a.m. outside the hotel in the 600 block of 7th Street, near the America’s Center Convention Complex.
According to a probable cause statement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Xavier Hines, 33, noticed a man stealing sodas from pallets he was delivering. Surveillance footage showed Hines close the back door of his truck and run to the front of the vehicle. When he returned to the rear of the truck, a witness reported seeing a gun in his hand. The victim dropped the soda bottle and took a step back. Despite those actions, Hines advanced toward the victim and fired one shot into his leg, causing him to fall. When officers arrived, the victim was bleeding profusely. He was transported to a hospital for treatment. Hines admitted to shooting the victim when speaking with officers.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Hines with one count of first-degree assault and one count of armed criminal action. A judge denied bond, finding reasonable grounds to believe Hines posed a danger to the crime victim, the community, or another person. Hines is being held at the St. Louis City Justice Center. Court records show he has no prior felony convictions. A next court appearance had not been scheduled as of Wednesday morning. The victim was not identified in court documents.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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