A man is dead after being shot near Kiener Plaza in the middle of the afternoon. It happened downtown at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, when a man chased a skateboarder while shooting at him.
Multiple bystanders saw the encounter.
"We were just standing over there, by the 4Hands container [bar], when this gentleman was sitting down. He'd just done a kick flip with his skateboard," one witness describes, when another man "just came walking up to him, didn't even say a word, pulled it out, and started shooting the guy."
He says patrons of the bar dove for cover.
Another witness, watching from outside Spire headquarters across the street, described how the victim tried to flee from his attacker.
"The guy in the front, he's running, he's kind of stumbling, and then the guy behind him pulls the gun back out, lifts the gun up, and shoots him again, 'pop pop pop pop pop pop pop,' then he falls down, the guy stands over him, shoots him again, and then runs away."
Police Lt. Donna Garrett says they're checking security footage.
"We don't know anything about the suspect at this time, but we're thinking it's a targeted attack," Lt. Garrett said at a briefing.
About 15 shots were fired in all, she said.
Bullets also struck a nearby vehicle and damaged buildings at the PWC office building at Ballpark Village, which is a couple of blocks away.
The bystander who was having a beer at the 4Hands pop-up bar on the plaza says he only saw a bicycle police officer pass by every hour or two. He says he'd like to see officers be more of a constant.
"Just that presence, to observe, to know that there's someone if something does happen," though he adds, "they were quick. They got down here quick."
The observer from outside Spire's building said: "It's wild that that could happen at 3:30 on a Thursday, when the sun's out, you know?"
