A St. Louis man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence to Dwight Byrd, 59, who admitted to pointing a handgun at a 7-year-old boy on September 7, 2023.
According to court documents, two witnesses told officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department that Byrd threatened the child by aiming a black handgun at him and saying he would “teach him some (expletive) respect.” When officers arrived, Byrd fled into his home, changed clothes, and then surrendered. Police recovered a loaded black 9mm handgun with a chambered round near the stairs leading to his second-story apartment, as well as a .38 special revolver and additional ammunition inside the apartment. At the time of the incident, Byrd was on parole for a state drug offense.
Byrd acknowledged during Thursday’s hearing that prosecutors could prove he pointed the gun at the child by a preponderance of evidence.
The victim’s mother wrote in a letter to Judge Autrey: “We are all traumatized, and he probably still doesn’t care.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj highlighted Byrd’s criminal history during court proceedings and in a sentencing memo, noting previous robbery and drug convictions as well as three other incidents where Byrd had pointed or fired guns at people.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together law enforcement agencies and community organizations to address violent crime and gun violence nationwide. The program emphasizes building trust within communities, supporting prevention efforts through local organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and tracking outcomes through measurable results. More information about PSN can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psn.
