GARWOOD — A Reynolds County man remains in a St. Louis hospital after he was shot in the face Sunday night by a man who knocked on his door and asked for directions.
At about 9:50 p.m., the Carter County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call from “a female caller reporting that a family member had been shot at a residence near the junction of Highway 21 and Highway 34,” said Carter County Sheriff Rick Stephens.
The Carter County dispatcher forwarded the call to the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Department, and Carter County deputies responded to assist, Stephens said.
“My guys and the (Missouri State) Highway Patrol were the first officers” to arrive, Stephens said. “They remained on the scene and administered first aid until the Reynolds County deputy and ambulance arrived.”
A helicopter landed “right there in front of their house on Highway 21,” and the 52-year-old victim was flown to St. John’s Mercy in St. Louis for treatment, said Reynolds County Sheriff Tom Stout.
“I was told the victim is … doing pretty good” given his condition, said Stout.
The victim was shot in the face with a handgun, Stout said, but “it was not a 9mm as people are saying.”
The alleged shooter has not been caught.
“We were told it was a heavy set black male,” Stout said.
The alleged perpetrator came to the man’s residence and knocked on his door, Stout said, asking directions on how to get to Piedmont.
“He (the victim) pointed to (Highway) 34; the guy gets his directions, then pulled out a gun and shoots him in the face,” Stout explained.
The man’s wife called authorities.
Based on the investigation, “we know the perpetrator, when he left there, went south on 21,” Stout said. “(He) came up behind (a lumber) truck very fast” and passed the 18-wheel truck on a curve at 9:44 p.m.
The suspect vehicle is described as a small, dark SUV-type vehicle, possibly a GMC Envoy, Stout said.
“There is a lot of questions that’s going into … why,” Stout said. “We are trying to figure out what the motive is.
“There’s a lot of filling in the blanks, hopefully, we will be able to do.”
Stout has requested assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control.
“We did (get information) all day (Monday), including late (Monday) night,” but “very little (Tuesday),” said Stout, who indicated citizens have been “pretty good” about calling in information and helping.
This shooting has some similarities to a shooting that occurred at Essex in December, but that could be coincidental, Stout said.
In the Essex incident, the suspect did not knock on the door, said Stoddard County Chief Deputy Andy Holden.
“They honked their horn,” said Holden, who indicated the victim in that incident was shot in the arm and survived.
“It seems to be similar, but we don’t know that they are connected. We can’t say either way at this point.”
Holden said Stoddard County officials are exploring all scenarios. A description of the assailant was not available, but officials said the vehicle in that incident was reported as a small red passenger car.
Stout urged caution when “going to the door, especially at night.”
Stephens agreed.
“To my knowledge, I have not been informed or have any information of an active threat against our citizens,” Stephens said. “I would just simply recommend people use good, common sense safety practices.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Department at 573-648-2491.