FENTON, Mo. – After confronting a criminal rummaging through their car on Sunday night, a homeowner in Fenton was shot at and grazed by a bullet.
“Even with the surround sound, we could still hear the shots,” said Brian Emigh. “A little frightening to hear at night while watching TV.”
Police said just before 8 p.m. Sunday, in a residential Fenton neighborhood, three suspects were caught on a neighbor’s surveillance camera driving up in a dark sedan. They quickly checked the car doors before speeding away and trying the next house.
The suspects had no idea that the vehicle they were about to break into had been warned by a neighbor.
“He sees the passenger door on his pickup truck in his driveway is opened, so immediately he is suspicious,” said Grant Bissell, public safety information coordinator for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
The 39-year-old man came outside to check his car when he found a stranger going through the center console.
“The owner of the vehicle grabbed a hold of the guy that was in his truck, pulled him out,” Bissell said. “There was a little bit of a physical struggle back and forth, and ultimately, the guy in the truck pulled a gun and fired at least three times.”
One shot grazed his arm. A couple of inches over, and the outcome could have been much worse.
A neighbor next door, who only wanted to be referred to by their first name, heard the shots before checking on the victim.
“There was a gun magazine had gotten dropped in the street,” said Mackena. “There were casings everywhere.”
All three suspects are still on the loose.
“We were right in the window,” Mackena said. “I’m sure they could see us from the street. All we had to do was turn, and we could see them right there, so that was crazy. And we had kids in the house.”
Car break-ins and thefts have been prevalent in Jefferson and surrounding counties for years. That is why law enforcement urged homeowners to stay vigilant and lock them up.
“You keep going down Jefferson County and you find guns, you find purses, wallets, electronics every time you go down,” Bissell said. “Why would you stop coming, so again lock those doors, take those valuables inside with you, don’t give these folks an opportunity to steal from you.”
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department asked the public to share any information or footage from Sunday to help them in their investigation.