Shooting in St. Louis

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=205201&catid=3

By: Kay Quinn

KSDK -- Three people are in the hospital tonight after a gun battle on the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.

It happened in south St. Louis during the dinner hour.

The robbery victim and his girlfriend were sitting in their car in the parking lot deciding what to order when two men jumped in the back seat.

That's when the bullets started flying.

See pictures from the scene here

"Certainly anybody's in danger who was around here. I haven't had an indication of how busy it was here at the Rally's," says Capt. Jerry Leyshock, with the St. Louis Police Department.

It was just after six p.m. when gunfire was heard from inside a car on the parking lot of this Rally's at Jefferson and Lynch. Two men with guns got into the backseat of a couple's car and demanded money.

The victim, who also had a gun, opened fire, shooting one would-be robber in the head and the other in the chest

"One of the suspects shot in the head," says Lieutenant John Green, a St. Louis Police homicide detective. "He is in critical, unstable condition and one suspect shot in the chest he's critical unstable."

Police say after the gunfire, one of the would-be robbers was able to get out of the car and run into an alley between the Rally's and another building. That's where he collapsed.

The male robbery victim was also shot. His bullet wounds to the legs are not life-threatening. Police say it's a lesson for criminals.

"It was a victim defending himself now you've got a lot of people carrying guns in their cars to defend themselves with so too bad for the robbers," says Lt. Green.

Three guns were recovered at the scene.

Police say at least five shots were exchanged in the shooting.
KSDK