Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

Police investigate home invasion, shooting near Belleville

St. Clair County Sheriff's deputies continue to investigate a home invasion and shooting that happened at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday in unincorporated Belleville.

According to police, four to six men wearing dark-colored ski masks forced their way into a home at 6 Kingsway Drive, near the Sky View Drive-in. The home is occupied by two brothers, ages 16 and 17, according to St. Clair County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Johnson.

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The shooting left the 17-year-old with two bullet wounds to his arm. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was listed in good condition Tuesday, Johnson said.

According to statements by the victims, the 16-year-old resident heard someone knocking on the home's door and when he looked out the window to see who was there, he saw no one. When he opened the door, four to six men, some of them armed with weapons, forced their way into the home and repeatedly demanded money. They forced the victim around the house while searching for money and demanding to know where the money was, police said.

Some of the suspects found the 17-year-old resident sleeping downstairs, woke him, and demanded money from him. The 17-year-old attempted to defend himself with a pipe, according to police, and was shot in the arm. When he attempted to escape from the home, he was shot a second time, again in the arm.

The shooting victim was able to run from his home to a neighbor's home and call 9-1-1.

As he was running, he spotted a dark-colored van traveling very quickly after him as if it were chasing him.

"At this time we have no clear descriptions of the suspects other than they were black men wearing dark ski masks, some carrying weapons," Johnson said. "It appears at this time that the residents were targeted. It does not appear that this was random."

The victims estimate the men were in their 20s or 30s based on the sound of their voices, Johnson said.

It has not been made public what, if anything, the suspects took from the home.

St. Clair County detectives are in contact with St. Louis authorities to determine whether there is any connection between the home invasion Tuesday morning and a similar crime that occurred in St. Louis early Monday, Johnson said.

The St. Louis home invasion involved four black men, all wearing dark clothes and dark ski masks, some carrying weapons, forced their way into a home in the 5500 block of Oriole Avenue. Once inside the men demanded money from the four victims in the home. A 51-year-old male resident in the home was shot during the home invasion and robbery.

No arrests have been made in the St. Louis home invasion.