ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Monday charged Christian Watkins, 23, of the 9700 block of Winkler Drive in St. Louis, in connection with a May 31, 2026, shooting on Sapphire Avenue that authorities said involved gunfire at a car and left a woman with a graze wound to the forehead while she was in bed.
Watkins was charged June 1, 2026, with first-degree assault or attempt, unlawful use of a weapon — shoot at/from motor vehicle, at person, motor vehicle or building — and two counts of armed criminal action, according to the prosecutor’s office. He is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond, with no 10% option.
According to the St. Louis County Police probable cause statement, the shooting happened at about 10:22 p.m. Sunday as Victim #1 was driving a 2017 Dodge Charger on Apricot Avenue at Sapphire Avenue, with Victim #2 as a passenger. Authorities said Watkins was standing in the street near the 5500 block of Sapphire Avenue, where numerous other people also were nearby in a yard.
“The defendant and others began firing shots at the Charger,” the probable cause statement said.
The St. Louis County Police continued: “A shot was fired at a residence in the 7200 block of Sapphire Avenue and struck Victim #3 in the forehead as she lay in bed, according to the statement. She was taken to an area hospital and suffered a graze wound to the forehead.
“The Charger also was damaged, including a broken rear window, and drove away, authorities said. Police stopped the car shortly afterward and obtained statements from the victims.”
Investigators recovered 16 shell casings from the scene, according to the probable cause statement. Police also said that, during a consent search of a residence in the 5500 block of Sapphire, officers found and detained Watkins, four other adults and more than 10 juveniles.
Police said they also found five pistols, including some with auto sears that made them fully automatic, as well as equipment to manufacture auto sears.
“The defendant admitted shooting, with others, firearms at the Charger when it crossed the intersection,” the probable cause statement said.
The St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons is handling the investigation.
The prosecutor’s office noted that charges are accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
