Region briefs 8/7/07

Fire damages apartment in Cape Girardeau

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded Sunday night to a call of a structure fire in a two-story apartment building. At 9:27 p.m., neighbors reported flames showing from the second floor of the 211 N. Park Ave. apartment. Firefighters arrived and used watering can extinguishers to control the fire until a fire hose could be deployed. Four engines, one fire ladder, and a battalion chief responded to the call, assisted by Cape Girardeau police and Cape County Private Ambulance. Damage to the structure was estimated at around $40,000, according to the Cape Girardeau fire department.

Sikeston, Mo. police investigate shooting

Sikeston police continue to investigate a shooting which occurred Sunday morning around 3:40 a.m. Stephen McGhee, 42, called 911 to report having been shot and wounded while he was walking near the apartment complex in the 800 block of Ruth Street. McGhee suffered a single gunshot wound to the buttock, and the bullet exited his lower abdomen. Emergency personnel transported him to Missouri Delta Medical Center, where his condition was last listed as serious but stable, said Sikeston Department of public safety spokesman Sgt. Jim McMillen. Detectives from Sikeston's Criminal Investigation Unit conducted interviews and combed the area for evidence, assisted by the Sikeston Fire Division. McGhee was able to provide only a very vague description of his assailant, McMillen said. Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact CrimeStoppers at (573) 471-1500 or the Sikeston Department of Public Safety at (573) 741-1500.

-- From staff reports