A robbery attempt that erupted into gunfire on Tuesday evening has left two people hospitalized with gunshot wounds in St. Louis. According to a press release by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were dispatched to the intersection of N 9th St. and Lucas Ave shortly after 7:00PM where they discovered a 14-year-old boy with multiple gunshot wounds.
The teenage boy, found on the sidewalk bearing wounds to his lower body, was near a recovered black pistol at the scene emergency medical services conveyed him and a 45-year-old man, whom officers later found also shot in the lower extremities, to the hospital and both are reported in stable condition, the incident began when the 14-year-old and an unidentified male approached two men asking for a phone charger and upon being denied, the situation escalated to an attempted robbery.
An official investigation is underway, revealing that the juvenile, wearing a ski mask and wielding a handgun, demanded belongings from the two men; one of the men, a 45-year-old, was shot by the suspect after he drew his own weapon and instructed the teen to disarm the 45-year-old victim managed to return fire before the suspect hit him, both individuals were subsequently injured in the exchange of gunfire according to police reports.
The second suspect accompanying the young assailant fled the scene on foot leaving investigators to seek public assistance for more information anyone with knowledge of the event is urged to contact a District 4 detective at 314-444-2500 as the inquiry into the circumstances of the shooting continues, with local authorities committed to piecing together the details of the confrontation.
