‘A pillar in the community’: 92-year-old man was shot to death in his front yard while blowing leaves, son says
‘A pillar in the community’: 92-year-old man was shot to death in his front yard while blowing leaves, son says
Robert Prewett’s son said his father, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was a beloved husband, great-grandfather and neighbor.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County police are investigating after 92-year-old man was shot and killed in his front yard Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the St. Louis County Police Department said officers responded at about 11:50 a.m. Wednesday to a call for a shooting on Parc Charlene Drive. When they arrived, they found 92-year-old Robert Prewett dead from a gunshot wound.
Prewett’s son said his father was a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired employee of McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing, as well as a beloved husband, a great-grandfather and a highly respected neighbor.
According to his son, Prewett was found dead with three gunshot wounds in his front yard around 11 a.m. Wednesday. His leaf blower was still running when his neighbor found him.
No arrests have yet been made.
“He was a pillar in the community. He was a good man. I loved that man,” said neighbor Patrick Ruffin. “ … I would take him my newspaper every day. Seven days a week he would sit out there on his porch and do puzzles. He really enjoyed that. All of the neighbors and lots of police officers all knew and loved Mr. Prewitt.
“I’m all choked up. I really don’t know what to say. My daughter, my wife and I all cried. I wasn’t here at the time, but my wife and daughter were and they heard the gunshots.”
A neighbor’s relatives rushed over to try and resuscitate him, but he was later pronounced dead.
Prewitt and his wife, Frances, were married for 65 years. Family members said she died in May of last year.
“When we moved to this neighborhood, he was one of the first people who reached out to help us and welcome us,” said one woman, who asked to remain anonymous. “But, I am hurt because I can’t believe that someone would do something like that to such a gentle man.”
“He meant so much to me,” added Ruffin.
The department’s homicide detectives are investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 to speak with investigators or provide an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
Resources for crime victims
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence “helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence.”
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
The Bullet Related Injury Clinic (BRIC) is a community-based clinic in St. Louis that helps people heal after they have been injured by a bullet. The BRIC was established to help people who are discharged from the emergency department after being shot.