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A St. Louis public-housing resident who uses a wheelchair is facing eviction after shooting an alleged armed robber inside his apartment building, even though police reportedly classified the incident as self-defense.
According to reporting highlighted by NRA-ILA, Torrey Holliday received an eviction notice from the St. Louis Housing Authority following the August 26 shooting. The notice cited surveillance footage showing Holliday firing at another man in the building’s lobby.
The footage may show Holliday pulling the trigger, but the circumstances surrounding that moment are the heart of the dispute.
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Police Treated Holliday as the Victim
According to the available reports, Holliday encountered Randall T. Taylor in the lobby of the housing complex on North Euclid Avenue. Holliday said Taylor had previously stolen a firearm from him.
Taylor allegedly announced a robbery and continued advancing while Holliday attempted to move away in his wheelchair. Holliday then drew his handgun and fired.
Police and prosecutors reportedly treated Holliday as the victim rather than the aggressor. Taylor was charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Holliday has not been publicly accused of a crime in connection with the shooting. Instead, the apparent criminal charges stem from Taylor’s alleged conduct.
That makes the Housing Authority’s response difficult to square with the publicly known facts.
Housing Authority Cites “One Strike” Policy
The St. Louis Housing Authority told local media that it may terminate a lease when documented conduct threatens residents, employees or the surrounding community.
Officials pointed to Section 22.1.2.1 of the agency’s Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy. That section addresses mandatory lease termination under the authority’s “One Strike” policy for violent, drug-related or other criminal activity that threatens the health and safety of residents or employees.
The obvious question is what criminal activity the Housing Authority believes Holliday committed.
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A surveillance video showing a tenant firing a gun does not, by itself, establish an unlawful shooting. Context matters, particularly when police reportedly concluded that the tenant was defending himself from an armed robbery.
Holliday has also criticized security at the building. He said staff knew he carried a firearm and that he had not seen signs prohibiting firearms in the lobby.
An eviction notice is not the same thing as a final court order, and a criminal determination does not automatically settle every lease dispute. Still, if the Housing Authority is relying on a policy specifically directed at criminal activity, it will likely face questions about how a police-classified act of self-defense fits that definition.
A Familiar Public-Housing Gun-Rights Fight
NRA-ILA points to several previous disputes involving firearm possession in public housing, including cases in San Francisco, Delaware, Maine and East St. Louis.
Those cases generally centered on whether low-income residents could be denied the ability to keep a lawful firearm simply because they lived in government-supported housing. The Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller also recognized self-defense as central to the Second Amendment right.
Missouri law adds another layer. State statute broadly preempts cities and other political subdivisions from adopting firearm regulations inconsistent with state law. The statute also says local discharge regulations cannot prohibit the lawful use of a firearm in defense of a person or property.
Whether that preemption provision directly controls Holliday’s lease dispute would ultimately be a legal question. Based on the facts reported so far, however, NRA-ILA argues that the Housing Authority’s action raises serious constitutional and statutory concerns.
For now, Holliday faces the possibility of losing his home after surviving what police reportedly considered an armed robbery.
The Housing Authority may have more evidence or another explanation that has not yet been made public. If it does, residents deserve to hear it. Otherwise, the situation looks remarkably simple: a man in a wheelchair defended himself against an alleged armed robber, the alleged robber was charged, and the man who defended himself received an eviction notice.
Self-defense doesn’t end when the threat goes down. That’s when the real battle begins. Lawyers. Prosecutors. Headlines. USCCA Members never fight that battle alone. Find out how.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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