ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) -A man was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison for a 2024 shooting outside a children’s daycare in Downtown West.

Daron Lontrell Nelson,26, was convicted on Aug. 27, 2025, of first-degree assault of a special victim, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action.

On March 14, 2024, Nelson was driving a white Hyundai Sonata and pulled beside the car of a 62-year-old man near 23rd and Washington Avenue.

A masked passenger of the Hyundai leaned out of the window and fired multiple shots at the man, hitting him in the upper back and damaging his car.

The man was transported to a hospital, where he survived his injuries.

The shooting occurred outside of a daycare during its hours of operation. The daycare’s surveillance video captured t

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