Two morning shootings at same address under investigation

At approximately 2 a.m. Friday, St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a residence in the 9,800 block of Y-Cut-Off Road in northern St. Francois County for a reported shooting incident.

According to a press release issued by the department Friday afternoon, officers found a 26-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the back. The victim was flown to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis and has since been treated and released.

It was reported to deputies that two armed intruders forced their way into the mobile home, which was occupied by three individuals. They demanded money. One shot was fired inside the mobile home.

As the occupants were fleeing, a subsequent gunshot from a shotgun struck the victim in the back as he fled the scene. Investigators on the scene do not believe this was a random home invasion-style robbery but instead believe it to be a drug-related incident.

At about 10:40 a.m. Friday, law enforcement and EMS were once again dispatched to the same address on Y-Cut-Off Road for a victim of a gunshot wound. A 21-year-old male, from the Bonne Terre area, was found deceased inside the residence from an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

According to department officials, an autopsy is scheduled for Saturday morning. Although the investigation into both incidents is ongoing, it is not believed the two are related.

More information will be released as it becomes available.