In the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of Saint-Louis, Missouri, a young boy's life was tragically cut short on June 1, 2023. Eleven-year-old David Wu Winston, a male with autism, found a handgun in an upstairs bedroom of his home on Brantner Place and accidentally shot himself in the head. Officers who responded to a call of a shooting found the young boy and rushed him to a hospital, but his injuries proved fatal.
The investigation into David's death led to the arrest of Tracy T.
Smith, the 34-year-old boyfriend of the boy's mother. Authorities reported that Smith had been living in the home with David and his mother. He was subsequently charged with endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death and stealing a firearm. Investigators learned that the. 38-caliber revolver involved in the incident had been reported stolen in Bridgeton. Smith informed police that he had purchased the handgun from a man on the street and kept it in a purse on the top shelf of his bedroom closet without a gun safe or lock. Both Smith and David's mother told investigators that the boy had a tendency to get into things when left unsupervised and would often watch television in the room where the gun was stored.
During legal proceedings, prosecutors argued that Smith was responsible for the child's death because he had created a substantial risk by keeping an unsecured firearm in a location accessible to a child with special needs. They presented evidence, including police body camera footage of the immediate aftermath of the shooting. However, Smith's defense attorney contended that his client was not to blame, stating that the boy's mother was aware of the gun's presence and had made the decision to lock David in the bedroom on the day of the incident.
In August 2025, a St. Louis jury deliberated for approximately three and a half hours before reaching a verdict. Tracy T. Smith was found not guilty and acquitted of first-degree fatal child endangerment and first-degree involuntary manslaughter. The tragic death of young David Winston highlighted the devastating consequences of unsecured firearms in a home, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a child.
