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Sentencing is April 11

Brian Lamont Cannon, Jr., of St. Louis, was convicted March 6 of shooting Florissant Police Officer Mike Vernon in May of 2012.

Vernon was looking for the suspect in a burglary when he encountered Cannon behind a bank building on Lindbergh, near New Halls Ferry Rd.  Cannon, who had been hiding in a dumpster, raised the lid and fired five shots at Vernon.

Vernon testified at the trial, held at the St. Louis County Courthosue in Clayton. Three of the five shots hit him. He testified that he could not move after being hit, and worried the gunman would “come back and finish me off.”

One of the shots hit Vernon in his spine and he is paralyzed from the waist down.

The jury deliberated for over two hours before convicting Cannon of all charges, including first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, which carries a sentence of life in prison. In addition, Cannon was convicted of all other charges, including several felonies.

Cannon will be sentenced on April 11.

Vernon had been with the Florissant Police Department for five years. He served eight years in the U. S Army as a military police officer, including one year in Iraq.

Vernon has moved away from the St. Louis area. He and his family now live in Tennessee, where his wife, a physician, practices medicine.

“Reflecting on a most welcome verdict handed down to Mike Vernon’s shooter, justice is one of the most important blessings of liberty.  I am thankful for the service of everyone and what I believe is the best the Police Department in the nation,” said Florissant Mayor Tom Schneider.  “Everyone in Florissant wishes the best for Mike Vernon and his growing family.”     -Carol Arnett

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