Police responding to a report of shots fired at a Cape Girardeau convenience store parking lot located the seriously wounded victim at a residence a block away.

Police have not released the name of the victim because no one has been arrested.

Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Barry Hovis did not know how many times the victim may have been shot, but said police found multiple shell casings near the parking lot of the Rhodes 101 Stop at 546 S. Sprigg St.

Police initially began heading there after a 1:34 a.m. call from an employee asking them to clear a crowd that had gathered in the parking lot. The call was changed to "shots fired" while officers were en route. Three minutes after the initial call, someone at the residence called 911 asking for medical help.

After being shot, the victim ran to a residence he was familiar with on South Frederick Street behind the store, Hovis said.

Police think an argument preceded the shooting.

Hovis said the victim, who has not been cooperative with police, is a part-time resident of Cape Girardeau who is from the Bootheel. He said police are interviewing the many witnesses to the shooting.

Police were running from call to call of shots fired on New Year's Eve but concluded that fireworks were involved in most cases, Hovis said. Police request that anyone with information about the shooting call them at 335-6621.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137