A 29-year-old Pevely man sustained a bullet graze wound to his head after three men broke into his home allegedly seeking money for drugs they thought the man stole from one of them.
The break-in and shooting occurred at 10:45 p.m. Nov. 23 in the 8400 block of Kenmom Court, Pevely interim Police Chief Tony Moutray said.
Officers responded to a call from a woman who lived in the 1500 block of Kenmon, where the victim had run to after the shooting. When they arrived, he was taking a shower.
Moutray said the man identified the shooter as a 28-year-old man from south St. Louis. His two companions have not been identified, Moutray said Tuesday (Dec. 6).
The victim told police he had gone to St. Louis to buy drugs from the shooter, but didn’t have enough money so he bought half of what was offered. Later, the seller noticed the other half of the drugs was missing and assumed the victim had stolen them, Moutray said.
“They forced open the door of his home and started telling him he owed them money,” Moutray said. “When he raised up off the couch, one of them fired a shot that grazed his head and went through two rooms of the mobile home. The victim ran out the back door.”
Cpl. Ben Litterall of the Pevely Police Department recovered the bullet four inches deep in the yard by tracing the holes through the walls of the home.
“He was canvassing the yard, saw a divot and found the round,” Moutray said.
Moutray said the bullet likely came from a .40-caliber or .45-caliber weapon, but lab tests will determine the caliber, he said.
The victim was taken from the woman’s home by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District personnel to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City, where he was treated and released.
Moutray said there is a stop order on the alleged shooter, but no warrants have been issued against any of the participants.