Man with criminal history in Wisconsin charged for shooting at man in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Prosecutors have charged man accused of shooting at another man in Springfield earlier this month.

Walter Weatherspoon, 37, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with a Springfield shooting investigation from March 8. Weatherspoon also has a lengthy criminal history in Wisconsin, according to court records.

Investigators say Weatherspoon shot at a man in the 5300 block of South Westwood Avenue after a dispute in the late evening hours. According to court documents, the victim was planning to visit his mother at her home and noticed a car in her driveway that he did not recognize. Around that time, Weatherspoon was in the area and told another man he had nothing to do with the parking spot.

Investigators say a disagreement followed and Weatherspoon approached the suspect. Per court documents, the victim alleges Weatherspoon was gesturing like he was “going for a gun.” The victim’s sister tried to separate the two and restrain Weatherspoon, but she was unable to do so.

Per court documents, as the victim tried to back away from Weatherspoon, he pulled out a gun. The victim pulled out a gun, and his sister stepped in front of Weatherspoon. Investigators say Weatherspoon got “a shot off” and fired at the victim, but did not confirm whether the victim was shot.

The victim told police he did not realize Weatherspoon had a gun before he pulled it out and that he was not planning to fire a shot since his sister was in the way of Weatherspoon, per court documents.

Officers issued a warrant leading to Weatherspoon’s arrest on March 9. While investigating, officers noticed a shell casing just a few feet from the front door. Later on, police recovered ammunition from Weatherspoon’s home consistent with the shell casing found in the incident.

It’s unclear if Weatherspoon and the victim were known to each other. Weatherspoon has a court hearing scheduled Wednesday in the case. He is booked in the Greene County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

According to Wisconsin court records, Weatherspoon has a history of crimes ranging from 1999 to 2017 in the state, including domestic assault, aggravated battery and disorderly conduct charges.

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