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15-year-old charged in January home invasion in O'Fallon, Missouri

"It is a sad commentary that we are having to certify and prosecute defendants who are 15," St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch said.

O'FALLON, Mo. — A 15-year-old boy is the latest suspect to face charges related to a January home invasion that left a homeowner seriously injured.

The Office of Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch announced on Wednesday that a boy was certified as an adult charged with accessory to first-degree robbery, accessory to first-degree burglary and accessory to first-degree assault.

Hakizimana Claude, 18, was previously charged in the incident and remains in custody on a $2 million bond. Two other juvenile suspects remain in the custody of Family Court.

Editor's note: The above video was published on Jan. 13.

The home invasion occurred during the early morning hours of Jan. 13 on Hawksbury Place.

Police said four suspects in a gray Hyundai stolen out of St. Louis broke into the back door of a home. The four victims who lived in the house woke up to the noise and were confronted by the suspects when they went to investigate.

The suspects demanded money and forced the homeowner to hand over their car keys. One of the suspects then struck him in the face with a handgun despite his compliance, prosecutors said. The homeowner's daughter heard the commotion outside of her bedroom, locked the door, and called for help using Alexa, police said.

At some point during the robbery, one of the suspects fired a bullet that went through a wall and barely missed a little girl. They then left in the stolen Hyundai and the homeowner's vehicle.

The homeowner was left with a black eye and a deep gash on his nose, and at the scene, police recovered a gun stolen out of Florissant.

The suspects were taken into custody after two pursuits that both ended in crashes.

"It is a sad commentary that we are having to certify and prosecute defendants who are 15," McCulloch said in a Wednesday news release announcing the charges. "That said, violent crime will not be tolerated in St. Charles County no matter the age of the perpetrator."

The 15-year-old is in custody on a $100,000 bond.

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