BELLEVILLE, Ill. – Belleville Police are looking for a gunman they say shot a woman in what nearly became a deadly tragedy.
The woman was shot in the head and transported to the hospital, according to police. She was recovering at home by Wednesday afternoon. The bullet wound turned out to be a graze wound.
It happened at the Trover Food Company in the 9200 block of West Main Street around 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Police said the gunman had been waiting at a bus stop and he demanded the woman’s purse as she arrived at work and was getting out of her vehicle. They struggled over the purse; he shot her and ran off with it.
Signal Hill Elementary School is less than a half-mile away from where the incident happened. The school went on lockdown for about 40 minutes until police could canvass the area to make sure the suspect was no longer around.
Police posted a description of the suspect on their Facebook page. He is described as “A black male appearing to be in his late teens or early 20’s, approximately 5’7” to 5’9” and thin build, wearing blue jeans, a black hooded jacket, and tennis shoes.”
The suspect fled the scene on foot westbound on West Main Street, according to police. A K-9 from Caseyville Police responded to the scene to assist. Belleville Police Crime Scene Unit and Detectives responded to begin an investigation. The suspect, in this case, remains at large.
Belleville Police request residents in the area check home surveillance cameras for the suspect around the time of this incident. If anyone has footage of the suspect, please contact Belleville Police at 618-234-1212 and ask for the Investigations Division.
Police called the crime a random act of violence and urged anyone with information to contact Belleville Police or Crimestoppers.