Two Sikeston shootings could be related, cops say

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A nonfatal shooting during the weekend and shots fired Monday morning may be connected, according to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

A Sikeston public safety officer responded to the intersection of Lora and Branum at 2:46 a.m. Saturday after hearing gunfire, said Capt. Jim McMillen, public information officer.

"He heard seven or eight shots while he was on the back lot of DPS headquarters," McMillen said.

At the scene, responding officers found a car with front-end collision damage. The vehicle apparently had been knocked backward into a snow bank, according to the report.

"The officer spoke with them, and they said they were in an accident as a result of the shots fired," McMillen said.

McMillen said a witness reported seeing gunfire from one car hitting the victim's car, "and it caused the driver to drive in reverse and strike her vehicle," after which the victim's vehicle left the area.

While officers were at the scene of the shooting, Missouri Delta Medical Center contacted Sikeston police about a 20-year-old gunshot victim.

"Apparently he had a gunshot wound to the head that occurred when someone shot through the car windshield and hit him," McMillen said. "The bullet was lodged under his skin, between his skull and the skin. He was very lucky. The two other people in the car didn't know who the shooter was or where the shots came from exactly. They denied any involvement in the shooting whatsoever."

At 11:05 a.m. Monday, gunshots again were reported at Jaycee and Jackson streets.

"The officer responding found several spent casings in the roadway," McMillen said. "There was no one there when he arrived; everyone had fled the scene."

A suspect said to be involved in the gunfire reportedly had entered a home in the area, so police barricaded the area, collected evidence and contacted residents at nearby homes.

Gunfire struck houses at both scenes, police officials said.

"We are looking into the possibility of the two shootings being related," McMillen said.

Anyone with information about either of these incidents or any other crime should call at 471-6200 or 471-1500.