HOUSE SPRINGS, Mo. — A Fenton man is being held without bond after authorities say he shot another man in the head Wednesday night at a Jefferson County home.
Matthew R. Higgins, 34, is charged with first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday, Oct. 16.
Deputies responded around 10:45 p.m. Oct. 14 to a home in the 5000 block of Deana Drive in House Springs. They found a man with a head injury that appeared to be a gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office.
The injured man identified Higgins as the shooter and told deputies Higgins had fled into nearby woods. While investigators were at the scene, Higgins emerged from the wooded area and surrendered, authorities said.
According to a probable cause statement dated Oct. 15, Higgins waived his Miranda rights during a custodial interview and admitted shooting the man.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the property and recovered evidence supporting the report of a shooting, the sheriff’s office said.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. In Friday’s update, authorities said he was stable and expected to survive.
Jefferson County jail records list Higgins’ booking date as Oct. 15. The sheriff’s office said he has a prior armed criminal action conviction and had recently been released from prison.
Higgins remained in the Jefferson County Jail without bond as of the sheriff’s Friday announcement.
The charges are allegations. Higgins is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Sources: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office news release dated October 16, 2026; probable cause statement dated October 15, 2026; Jefferson County jail records. Agency: https://www.jcsd.org/. Jail records: https://www.jcsd.org/inmate-search.
