Police said the confrontation escalated after supervisors raised concerns about David E. Downing Jr.’s tardiness and work performance.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A 40-year-old roofing worker is facing felony charges after police said he displayed a firearm equipped with a 100-round drum magazine and threatened co-workers following a dispute over his attendance and work performance.
David E. Downing Jr. is charged with making a terrorist threat in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to records cited by Law&Crime. A probable cause affidavit from the St. Charles Police Department says the confrontation began Aug. 20 after an assistant foreman told a supervisor that Downing had arrived late and was not working after he showed up. The charges are allegations, and Downing has not been convicted in the Missouri case.
According to the affidavit, Downing overheard people discussing his work and complained that he was being disrespected. A supervisor sent the crew to lunch in an effort to calm the situation. During the trip, police allege, Downing showed a co-worker crime scene photographs connected to a Pennsylvania case in which he was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Investigators said Downing also claimed during the conversation that he had killed someone in an unsolved St. Louis case. Authorities have not publicly substantiated that alleged statement, and the claim should not be treated as evidence that Downing was involved in any other killing. Police said he then displayed a firearm fitted with a 100-round drum magazine to the co-worker.
The dispute continued after the employees returned to the job site, according to investigators. Downing’s boss eventually sent him home and told him not to report to work the following day. Police said Downing then made a threat in front of about 10 to 11 employees, warning that if he was fired he would return and “split everyone’s taco.” Workers told investigators they took the alleged threat seriously and were uncomfortable returning to the site.
The affidavit says the confrontation continued after Downing left. Investigators allege he called his boss and demanded that each worker pay him $1,000 or he would shoot them. The company president responded by pulling employees from the job site because of concerns about possible violence and later fired Downing by text message, according to the police account.
Missouri law says a person can be charged with making a terrorist threat in the first degree when, with the purpose of frightening 10 or more people or causing an evacuation or closure, the person knowingly communicates a threat involving danger to life. The offense is a Class D felony. State law also prohibits certain people with previous felony convictions from knowingly possessing firearms.
Downing’s prior conviction stems from the September 2019 shooting death of 50-year-old Derrick Potts at a hotel in Valley Township, Pennsylvania. He was initially charged with murder, but a jury convicted him of the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter in 2022. He was sentenced to 45 months to 12 years in prison, with credit for time already served, and was released on parole in April 2024, according to reporting cited by Law&Crime.
Records reviewed in connection with the Missouri case showed Downing being held in the St. Charles County Jail on a $300,000 cash-only bond. His next court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 9. Prosecutors will have to prove the new charges in court, and no finding of guilt had been reported as of Monday.
Author note: Last updated September 8, 2026.