Cape Girardeau man hurt in struggle with gunman

An early morning home invasion in downtown Cape Girardeau has police on the lookout for two gunmen.

Officers responded at 2:17 a.m. Monday to a report of a shooting at 143 S. Spanish, where a 40-year-old man was found shot through his arm.

The man told police he was entertaining three guests at his home when two armed men entered through a back door.

He described the men as black, wearing white, hooded sweatshirts and stated that one was armed with a shotgun and the other a handgun.

Attempted to disarm

The victim sought to regain control by trying to disarm the man with the handgun while the other suspect went upstairs, said patrolman Jason Selzer.

"The victim attempted to take the gun away and, in the course of this struggle, he got shot," Selzer said.

After the shooting, the wounded man and his guests fled to a neighbor's home and phoned the police. When officers arrived, the suspects were gone.

"As far as I know, the victim is in stable condition at the hospital," Selzer said. "He's been able to talk to investigators."

Selzer said there were no signs of a forced entry into the home, and police have not determined if anything was taken.

"We're interviewing the people who were there and following up on leads," Selzer said.

Police have no distinguishing details about either of the suspects or their possible motives, but more information is expected to come from the interviews with witnesses.

Attempts to contact the victim for comment at area hospitals and at the residence were unsuccessful.