A local man is in critical, but stable condition at a Cape Girardeau, Mo., hospital after he was shot Sunday night.
The shooting occurred sometime before 11 p.m., said Poplar Bluff Police Lt. Josh Stewart.
"A male and female approached a couple, who was in a car on South 11th Street and asked them for a ride," Stewart explained.
The couple, he said, were parked in front of a South 11th Street home.
At some point, Stewart said, Travis Bond, 34, got out of the car, and he and the other man got into an argument.
"The male suspect pulled a firearm and shot the (victim)," Stewart said. "After he (the suspect) shot the (Bond), he approached the female and struck her with the gun.
"Then, basically the male and female suspects fled the area on foot."
Stewart said officers believe the suspects fled on south on 11th Street.
Bond, according to Stewart, was struck once in the chest, and his girlfriend suffered a scrap to her temple area.
Bond, Stewart said, initially was taken to a local hospital for treatment and then flown to a Cape Girardeau hospital.
"Right now, we're still interviewing witnesses and following leads," Stewart said. "Yesterday, we talked to 10 to 12 people.
"Out those 10 to 12 people, we came up with three different descriptions of the male suspect."
One description, he said, was provided by a woman who was driving buy.
The man, whose house the couple was parked in front of, gave a different description, but his description was similar to what was provided by the girlfriend, Stewart said.
"We're waiting for him to be stable enough to obtain some more information from him," Stewart explained. " ... It's rare that acts of violence like that are random."