Paula Kohensky, 60, is behind bars in St. Charles County, Missouri, facing felony charges of first-degree assault or attempted assault and armed criminal action. The incident unfolded on Sunday night when police said she fired a handgun toward a man repairing a fence post, an act that turned a routine property dispute into a criminal investigation. She is currently held on a $500,000 bond.
The shooting occurred while the neighbor was using an electric grinder to cut a misaligned fence post. According to the probable cause statement, the man heard yelling, followed by a countdown from three, and then a gunshot. He ran inside and called police after his wife reported someone had shot at her husband. Kohensky initially stayed inside for 30 minutes before speaking with officers.
Kohensky told police she was walking her dog in the backyard with a handgun, citing a history of harassment and stalking by the neighbors. She claimed she saw sparks from beneath a tarp and a shadow, yelled at the man, and that the gun discharged accidentally. Police, however, cited surveillance footage from the neighbors’ home that showed Kohensky and her husband standing side by side. The video allegedly captured her pointing the gun at the fence before it fired, moments before her husband took it from her.
The case will be tested at a preliminary hearing on December 2, where the judge will determine if enough evidence exists to proceed to trial. The defense is expected to argue the discharge was accidental, while the prosecution relies on the video evidence and the neighbor’s account of the countdown. Until then, the allegations remain unproven in a court of law.