Argument Leads To Shots Fired Inside West County Center

CBS St. Louis

April 03, 2021

The West County Center was put on lockdown Friday night after shots were fired inside the mall. The mall's security said the center went on lockdown after a shot was fired on the second floor. The Des Peres Police Department said two groups of people got into an argument before 8 p.m. when one of them fired the shot. No one was injured. Officers from multiple agencies responded.

A witness we talked to said he saw the gunman fire a shot from the second floor near Dicks then went down the escalator and kept shooting. The witness said he heard at least six gunshots. The witness then ran into the Gap store with several others to hide.
"We were going to stop at one more store ... and all of a sudden, just a loud pop," shopper Chad Pearson said. "I turned back and I see kids start running ... Then three more. Pop. Pop. Pop."

Officers cornered a white car after the shooting and News 4's Ashli Lincoln saw officers question a woman in handcuffs. Lincoln spoke to a family member of the individuals involved in the shooting. They said it started when their relative was leaving the Apple store. At some point that person got into an argument with another group outside the store. A woman then pulled out a gun and fired a shot.

We talked to Matthew Maurer while he was hiding inside the bathroom of California Pizza Kitchen with a dozen other people. He said it wasn't his first time hiding from gunshots. “I immediately felt the fight or flight situation," Maurer said. "I’ve been in a situation like this before at a Starbucks where someone pulled a gun so I ran to the bathroom as fast as I could and just shuffled in.”
People who were hiding in the mall said they were allowed to leave just before 9 p.m. Des Peres police said the public is no longer in danger.