A 16-year-old Herculaneum boy has been charged in connection with two recent shootings – one that struck a 10-year-old boy asleep in his Festus home and another that struck a Crystal City Police vehicle parked outside a school.
The Festus and Crystal City Police departments worked together in the investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect, whose name will not be released because he is a juvenile, authorities reported.
The teen was arrested by Hillsboro Police on March 26 during a traffic stop, and the suspect was turned over to juvenile authorities.
Police reported that on March 27 a judge signed an order of detention for the suspect, and the teen has been charged with second-degree assault, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and armed criminal assault, a class E felony that carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
Festus shooting
The shooting in Festus occurred early March 25 while the victim was asleep in his bed at a home on Lilac Drive in the Westowne Parc Mobile Home Court. He was shot in the hand, and his injuries were not life-threatening. His family members told officers they would take him to an area hospital for treatment, Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said.
He said officers got a call at 12:10 a.m. about the shooting at the mobile home community, which is near the intersection of Hwy. A and I-55.
Family members told officers they heard three loud bangs before they discovered the boy had been shot.
“It looked like he was grazed on one finger and it hit another finger on his left hand,” Lewis said.
He said three shots were fired into the mobile home.
“They were intentionally fired into the trailer,” Lewis said.
Crystal City shooting
Crystal City Police Capt. Mike Pruneau said on the morning of March 24, officers noticed a department patrol car had a flat tire and later discovered the tire had been shot at 12:20 a.m. that morning while it was parked in front of Crystal City Elementary School, 1100 Mississippi Ave.
Pruneau said surveillance video helped authorities in the investigation.
“(The suspect) drove by and shot the tire out,” Pruneau said. “It was discovered it was shot by a .22 rifle. That was what was used in the other shooting. We thought it couldn’t be a coincidence.”
The investigation is continuing and “further charges may be forthcoming,” the two police departments announced in a joint press release.