Alleged attacker Burgess shot in chest by wife during altercation
Bois D’Arc man faces felony charges after allegedly striking elderly woman, firing weapon inside house
A Bois D’Arc man is facing felony charges after an altercation at his home one mile west of Prospect Cemetery, Thursday, Feb. 18, ended with him being shot in the chest. Steven Edward Burgess, 33, is charged with two counts of first-degree domestic assault, one count of armed criminal action and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.
Probable cause details scary scene
According to the probable cause statement in the case, a woman, identified in a press release as Burgess’s spouse, told an investigator that Burgess came to their house heavily intoxicated and got his vehicle stuck in the snow. The woman said Burgess went into the house, and she went outside to attempt to free the vehicle.
After a few moments, she said, she heard one of her children crying for help. A boy ran outside and yelled “(Burgess) is trying to kill us!”
The woman said she ran inside and saw Burgess’s victim, an 87-year-old female, lying on the floor of the living room, looking as if she was in “a great deal of pain and distress.” She said she heard the victim say, “Why, Steven?”
The woman then told Burgess he had “ruined everything,” after which, she said Burgess left the living room and went towards their bedroom. Believing he was going to get a gun, the woman said she got her own 9mm handgun out of her purse. As she did so, she said, she heard Burgess load a shotgun.
As the woman was helping the victim to get off the ground, she said, Burgess re-entered the living room while holding a shotgun. The victim told the woman to run, and she left with her child who was also in the room; they fled to Burgess’s vehicle where the woman’s other child was waiting.
Afterwards, the woman said she heard a shot come from the house and assumed Burgess had shot the victim. She said he came out of the house with a scoped .308 rifle, approached the vehicle and attempted to enter, but the door was locked.
The woman said Burgess stepped back and pointed the rifle at one of the children, so she opened the vehicle door and shot him in the chest with her handgun. She then fled to a neighbor’s house with the children.
Law enforcement arrives on scene
Deputies found the elderly victim with her right eye swollen completely shut and a laceration on the right side of her face. She was taken to the hospital for treatment, where she told investigators that Burgess had become “upset and assaulted her” at the house.
The victim told investigators that she relies on her walker for mobility, but Burgess took it from her and she fell to the ground. She said the woman came to her defense, but had to flee when Burgess came into the room with a shotgun.
After the woman left, the victim said, Burgess hit her (the victim) with her walker, and he also approached her and pointed his shotgun at her. The victim also told investigators that Burgess fired a round that just missed her.
Deputies found Burgess on the ground outside of the house with a bullet wound to his chest. He was taken into custody and given immediate medical care.
Suspect claims alcoholism, anger issues
The next day, according to the probable cause statement, an investigator spoke with Burgess at the hospital where he was being treated. During a post-Miranda interview, Burgess stated that he was heavily intoxicated during the incident and couldn’t remember much of anything. He said he had been drinking heavily with his boss and then drove home, where he thought he got into an argument with his family.
The investigator asked Burgess why he had a shotgun and fired it, to Burgess said, “I don’t know.” He said he remembered seeing the victim on the floor, but wasn’t certain of what happened. He said he “must have moved past her at some point which probably knocked her over.”
The investigator also asked Burgess why he pointed a gun at one of his children, at which point Burgess started crying and said he didn’t remember anything. He also said he had “a drinking problem and also suffers from anger issues.”
As of press time, Burgess was being held without bond at a local hospital.
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Lawrence County Record
312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
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