Southeast Missouri Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

Cape Girardeau, Mo. (KFMO) - U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a man responsible for one fatal and one non-fatal shooting in Hayti, in 2023 to 25 years in prison.

44-year-old Eugene Winters, of Hayti, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in November to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Winters admitted that on April 19, 2023, just before 7:30 p.m., he shot two people outside "The Store" at 301 Washington Street in Hayti. Winters told police that he argued with one man before going to his vehicle to retrieve his gun. The victim was sitting in his vehicle and Winters believed he had a gun, Winters’ plea says. Winters and the victim argued again, and Winters shot the victim from the driver’s side of the car before walking around to the passenger side of the vehicle and shooting the victim more times, his plea agreement says.

The second victim came out of the store and approached Winters, who started shooting at the second victim. Winters followed that man into the store and fired two more shots while the victim was running away. Hayti police arrived, and Winters threw down his gun and laid on the ground.

Both victims were taken to a local hospital, then by air ambulance to the Regional One Health Trauma Center in Memphis, Tenn. due to the seriousness of their injuries. One died. Winters was a convicted felon and thus is barred from possession of a firearm.

His prior convictions include aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Due to those crimes, Winters qualified as an “armed career criminal,” meaning he faced 15 years to life in prison for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.