Tyler Bland, 26, of St. Louis has been charged with several felonies after allegedly shooting at two people in the parking lot at the Walmart store, 2700 Ridge Point Drive, in High Ridge. No one was injured in the shooting, but three vehicles were damaged by the gunfire, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Bland was arrested today, Feb. 21, in the 4200 block of Delor Street in St. Louis. A team of Sheriff’s Office detectives and U.S. Marshals arrested him, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
Bland was being held without bond this afternoon in the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Bland today with first-degree domestic assault and first-degree assault or attempted assault, both class B felonies that carry a penalty of five to 15 years in prison; two counts of armed criminal action, each one an unclassified felony punishable by three to 15 years in prison; and second-degree property damage, a class B misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a possible fine of up to $1,000, court records show.
Deputies were called to the store at about 7:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, after Bland allegedly shot at a 22-year-old woman, whose last listed address was in Festus, and a 62-year-old Fenton man. The woman was trying to leave in a 2003 Ford Escape that the Fenton man was driving, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, the woman recently had ended a relationship with Bland and stopped talking to him because Bland had previously fired a gun at her.
The woman told investigators Bland had been sending her threatening messages through Facebook Messenger. She also said she did not know how Bland found her in the store, the report said.
Bland and another man reportedly traveled to the store to find the woman. When Bland found her in the store, he allegedly demanded she leave with him, according to the report.
The woman told investigators she walked away from Bland, but he continued to follow her. She also said he took one of her cellphones and broke it in the store before she left the business, according to the probable-cause statement.
The woman said she tried to get into the Escape, but Bland prevented her from getting into the vehicle. He also allegedly took the woman’s other cell phone and broke that before lifting his shirt to display a pistol in his waistband, the report said.
The Fenton man who had driven the woman to the store grabbed his holstered gun from the Escape’s center console and got out of the car when he saw Bland’s gun. As the Fenton man walked around the back of the Escape with the holstered gun, Bland started to walk away backward, according to the report.
The Fenton man said he began to unholster his gun because of Bland’s threatening demeanor but did not remove the gun from the holster and did not point it at Bland, the report said.
The woman and Fenton man said Bland pointed his gun at them and started shooting while running away. The bullets did not hit anyone, but bullets struck three vehicles parked near the Escape, according to the report.
The Sheriff’s Office said Bland left the parking lot in a Dodge Durango.
Deputies found several shell casings in the parking lot near the damaged vehicles. One vehicle had a shattered rear window and a flat driver’s side tire; another vehicle had chipped paint near the driver’s side door handle and a damaged driver’s side mirror; and a third vehicle had a shattered driver’s side window and a hole near the rear driver’s side door, according to the probable-cause statement.
Shell casings were found where Bland was seen in surveillance video in the parking lot. A single round of ammunition was found intact, and all shell casings were stamped with the same brand, the report said.
The man who arrived at the store with Bland told investigators he walked away when he saw Bland holding a gun. He said he heard gunshots while walking away, according to the report.
The woman told investigators she believes Bland fired the gun at least eight times, the Sheriff’s Office reported.