ST. LOUIS — Police said a former employee, who is banned from a south St. Louis grocery store, returned to the business and attacked a manager.
The former employee allegedly shot at the manager inside the Fields Foods grocery store in the 1500 block of Lafayette at about 7:00 a.m. Thursday.
“An individual who has been banned from the store came in again, and he confronted one of our employees at the management level and deliberately attacked him,” said Fields Foods owner Chris Goodson, who is also a former police commissioner of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Police said during the assault, the former worker took out a gun, and the manager attempted to disarm him. That’s when the suspect allegedly fired his weapon. Police said the former worker then pulled out a knife and swung at the manager, who was cut trying to push it away. Goodson said other employees and police officers helped save the manager’s life.
“The employee is okay,” said Goodson. “He’s at the hospital now. He’s a tough individual. My employees, I couldn’t be more proud of. We were able to identify the suspect immediately with the help of the employees and immediately apprehend him. He won’t be able to cause any other mayhem on citizens and businesses throughout the city.”
It’s unclear why the former employee returned to the store. Police said the man was arrested after a short foot pursuit. Fields Foods shoppers were taken aback by the incident and grateful no one else was hurt.
“I’m surprised that this had to happen to that person, to an employee, and to the supervisor,” said customer Carolyn Sledge. “I’m just grateful no one else got hurt.”
Authorities said the employee was transported to the hospital to receive treatment for his injuries. He’s expected to make a full recovery.