ST. LOUIS — She was supposed to be leaving the wine bar after paying her bill when she heard several pops. She thought it was firecrackers.
This woman will remain anonymous because she is concerned for her safety because what she heard was not firecrackers, but gunshots. And the shooter is still on the loose.
Inside Sasha's on Shaw, a man was shot in the mouth. After it happened, one witness said it was chaos. People were running. She said she didn't know where the shots were coming from or if there was even an active shooter.
Across the street, a woman named Lydia said she heard seven shots.
In the Shaw neighborhood — where Sasha's on Shaw is located — there haven't been any murders this year. According to police data, the most common crime is people stealing from cars.
The witness, who spoke with 5 On Your Side anonymously, was a nurse for a long time. She said when she heard the gunfire, she wanted to help any victims.
It didn't take long to find the man shot. She said he was bleeding profusely.
When she got to him, she said a woman was screaming hysterically and three other people were tending to him. Those three were customers and all happened to be nurses or EMTs.
She said they kept checking his pulse and used kitchen towels to put pressure on the wound, as they waited for first responders to arrive.
She said that happened very quickly and he was taken away immediately.
Police said that man, who is 36, is in critical condition.
Another man and woman were injured from shrapnel, and police would only say they both have stable vital signs.
Police have not released any information about a suspect or what could have led up to the shooting.
On Sunday, Sasha's on Shaw was closed. A Facebook post did not indicate when it could reopen.
Anyone with information on what happened should call 866-371-TIPS.
