ST. LOUIS — A man was shot and injured after an argument outside a grocery store in St. Louis on Thursday.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers responded to a shooting shortly after 7 p.m. in the 3400 block of South Grand Boulevard.
A 44-year-old man was located on the Schnucks parking lot with gunshot wounds to his arm. He was taken to an area hospital and police said his injuries did not seem life-threatening.
A 22-year-old man was also at the scene but was not psychically injured.
Police said the men were possibly involved in an argument with three other men when one of them pulled out a firearm and shot at the victims. The victims provided conflicting reports and were uncooperative during the investigation, St. Louis police said.
No description of the three suspects was available as of Friday morning.
Schnucks said in a statement to 5 On Your Side that its security team is cooperating with St. Louis police to support the investigation.
Schnucks customer Darrell Meeks can walk 10 minutes from his house on Winnebago Street to this South Grand Boulevard store. The convenient location is part of the reason why he's here everyday.
However, Meeks hadn't heard about Thursday night's shooting.
"That's kind of sad there," Meeks told 5 On Your Side's Annie Krall. "Life is so short out here. People don't take their life seriously out here."
Local business owners who did not want to be shown on camera pointed to bullet holes in nearby buildings, telling us customers inside were scared after hearing the gunfire. They tell us a car came down Gravois Avenue when a group started firing shots out of the passenger side.
The business owners say they've been around for a decade but recently crime in the area has gotten worse.
Meeks, who was picking up a prescription at the store Friday morning has lived here since 2009.
"It's not no bad area around here," Meeks said. "People come and go. People maintain themselves. It's not no bad area."
We've asked police how many calls for service they've had to that Schnucks location within the last six months. They said it's been more than 70.
Some of the calls are initiated internally and are patrols for safety to prevent incidents from happening in the 3400 block of South Grand Boulevard. Other service calls include issues of assault, hold ups and attempted thefts from inside people's cars.
"I think they need to boost police patrol up some," Meeks said about how to prevent violent incidents from happening. "That's about it."
The investigation of Thursday night's shooting is ongoing.
Anyone with a tip about this incident who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a possible reward for their tip can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).