Eight shots were fired early Sept. 14 in a Crystal City drug deal gone bad. The only injury reported was to a parked car, which was hit twice by 9 mm rounds, Crystal City Police Capt. Mike says.
Crystal City Police arrested six men – three potential sellers and three buyers. No drugs were found but police confiscated a 9 mm Glock pistol with a 30-shot clip.
“We got a report at 12:30 in the morning of shots fired at Maple and Walnut,” Pruneau said, who added that the potential buyers were contacted via text message that they could buy a pound of marijuana.
“They came down, and upon the guys getting out of their vehicle, they were approached by three men wearing hoodies. They ran up and said, ‘Give us your money.’”
One of the buyers, a 24-year-old man from Jennings, told police the sellers pulled out weapons and fired. He said he pulled out the Glock and fired repeatedly, Pruneau said.
“Officers found six or seven 9 mm casings in the street,” he said. “Later, at the police station, another spent shell casing fell out of his (the 24-year-old’s) clothing.”
No other weapons or shells were found.
After the shooting, the would-be sellers scattered. They were a 23-year-old Festus man, an 18-year-old Crystal City man and a 20-year-old Crystal City man. The 18-year-old turned himself in and police arrested the other two shortly afterward.
Pruneau said warrants would be sought against the three for unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.
The three buyers were the man from Jennings, a 22-year-old from St. Louis and a 19-year-old from Arnold. The two older men fled the scene in a black Kia. The 19-year-old from Arnold took off on foot, Pruneau said.
Festus Police later stopped the Kia and arrested the two men in the car. The Arnold man was arrested when he banged on a residence door asking for help.
Pruneau said detectives were aided by text messages found on the phones of the first suspects arrested.
The 20-year-old was a suspect in a Sept. 9 burglary on County Road.
He was arrested later the day of the shooting on suspicion of felony property damage when he allegedly broke a window at his girlfriend’s house on Walnut, Pruneau said.
All six were released pending application for warrants.