ST. LOUIS — The Civil Courts Building in downtown St. Louis was struck by gunfire from a nearby park in a shooting that left a man critically injured Tuesday afternoon.
St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts said the incident happened at around 2 p.m. He said two sheriff's deputies witnessed gunfire at the Fireman's Memorial across Tucker Boulevard from the courts building.
He said the deputies tried to take the person into custody, but the suspected shooter got into a Chevrolet Malibu and fled the scene.
"We have these guys that gather over here in the park every day," St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts said. "They do drug deals and this kind of stuff. If they get into it with each other you get this random gunfire. We started chasing the guy down 14th Street."
St. Louis police said they were called a short time later after a person arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound.
A witness said the man was shot during an argument at the park, and his truck was seen driving away shortly after the gunfire. The man refused to speak to detectives before being taken into an operating room for surgery. He was listed in critical condition with stable vital signs.
Bullets made it into the building on the sixth and eighth floors.
Betts said he does not believe the court building was the intended target of the gunfire.
The Civil Courts and Carnahan courthouses closed early Tuesday with the exception of a few cases.
This is a developing story. 5 On Your Side will update this story as soon as information becomes available.