Four hurt in St. Louis parade shootings

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A shotgun was fired into the crowd at a family parade in St. Louis, leaving five people with minor injuries.

It happened Sunday at a service station parking lot during the Annie Malone May Day Parade on the city's north side. Police said three victims were struck by pellets in the leg, one in the arm and one in the back. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.

"We heard a big shot and everybody starting running and knocked chairs over, and then somebody came and told me my daughter had been shot and my granddaughter," said Yvonne Jefferson. The child is 12.

The shooter disappeared into the crowd. No arrests have been made. An investigation continues.

In a separate incident at the parade, a teenage girl suffered a cheek wound when she was slashed with a sharp object. She was in serious condition at St. Louis Children's Hospital, but police said her wound was not life-threatening.

The Annie Malone Parade began 98 years ago and benefits the Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center. The center cares for neglected, abused and at-risk children.