Two arrested in drive-by shooting investigation

SIKESTON, Mo. -- An 18-year-old man was shot in the back Thursday afternoon, and police are searching for his assailants.

Officers received a call of shots fired about 2 p.m. Thursday in the 500 block of Ruth Street, according to a release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Officers arrived within minutes and found the 18-year-old man with a single gunshot wound to his back. The victim was transported by ambulance to Missouri Delta Medical Center and is expected to recover after undergoing surgery.

The victim said he and another man were riding their bikes when someone in a vehicle leaned out the window and fired four to five shots. One of the men was struck in the back, and they both fled to a home at Delmar and Ruth streets.

Witnesses described the suspects' vehicle to police, and officers began searching for it. A short time later, police found an unoccupied vehicle hidden behind a residence in the 400 block of Lee Street, which they suspected was the assailants'. No one was in the home.

Information gathered during a SEMO Major Case Squad investigation led police to identify the driver of the vehicle and the suspected shooter, according to a Friday news release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

Both subjects have been arrested and charges are pending through Scott County prosecutor's office; the two were in custody as of Friday evening, the release said.

The Department of Public Safety is asking anyone with information about the shooting to call its CrimeStoppers hotline at 573-471-1500. Anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the offender or offenders could be eligible for a cash reward.