ST. PETERS, Mo. – Police in St. Peters are still searching for the man they allege tried to rob a woman last Friday and then shot her in the face.

This happened in the Schnucks parking lot at Highway 94 and Jungermann Road.

Luckily, this woman survived the shooting, but she is recovering in hospital with serious injuries. The shooting has people in St. Peters on edge.

“It was a shock because it’s the first time we’ve heard of something like this happening in our area,” said David Wiatt, who lives nearby and has been shopping at this Schnucks for 30 years. “Especially only a mile from us, and it’s usually just a quiet area.”

Sergeant Melissa Doss, a spokeswoman for the St. Peters Police Department, said investigators believe it was an attempted robbery.

“The person did not get away with any of their property or money, but we believe that was the motive behind the attack,” she said.

Officials said the victim climbed into the passenger seat of her car while her husband finished unloading groceries in the back of their car. Suddenly, a man got out of a silver SUV, opened the passenger door where the woman was sitting and struggled with this woman. He then shot her in the face, got back in the silver SUV, and drove away. Police believe the attempted robbery was a coincidence.

“We’ve noticed an increase in stolen vehicles, criminals are getting bolder. Driving around in groups to steal property and getting bolder, that’s what we noticed,” Doss said. “But the violent crime of our residents being attacked during these events is still very rare.”

Wiatt said that while these types of crimes are rare, he is always aware of those around him.

“We’re very vigilant about where we’re going, where we’re parking, who’s parking there, who’s going in and out, because you don’t know if they’re there for business or criminal activity,” he said.

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/gunman-in-shooting-at-st-peters-schnucks-still-at-large/ Gunman still at large while shooting at St. Peters Schnucks