Robbery in Progress Interrupted by Sudden Gunfire, Suspects Hit

Two teenagers were transported to a hospital last night, and a third taken into custody, after a bizarre shooting took place in the midst of an attempted robbery.

The incident took place in the 3200 block of Barrett Street, near Fairground Park in north St. Louis, around 9 p.m. A 43-year-old woman tells police she was sitting inside her parked car when she saw four males walking down the street. After passing her vehicle, the group stopped for a moment to talk to one another, and then one of them — a fourteen-year-old — approached the car with a gun.

The victim began screaming, but then heard gunshots just west of their location. All four suspects took off running east on Barrett, away from the gunfire.

Police soon arrived, and the victim provided descriptions of the suspects. As officers searched the area they found someone laying on the ground in the 4000 block of North Grand, less than a quarter-mile from where the attempted robbery occurred. The sixteen-year-old had been shot in the head, and matched the description of one of the suspects. He was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.

Approximately twenty minutes after the attempted robbery, police got a call about a shooting in the 4300 block of Warne Avenue, about one mile northeast of the initial incident. There they found two young men that matched the description of two more of the suspects, one the fourteen-year-old gunman and the other another fourteen-year-old. The latter had been shot in his foot, and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The former was taken into custody after officers found a firearm. He has been remanded to the custody of St. Louis juvenile court.

A fourth suspect is still at large. He is described by police as a black male of unknown age, 5'7 to 5'8, with a thick build and a dark complexion.

Officers are also still looking for the person or persons who opened fire on the would-be robbers. The investigation is ongoing.