Tom GantertSt. Charles, MO – A 65-year-old man who had a disabled placard on his car shot a 21-year-old Amazon delivery truck driver parked in a handicapped spot.
The incident happened at about noon Tuesday and the 21-year-old victim is in critical but stable condition and the 65-year-old man was arrested at the scene, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The dispute began when the Amazon driver illegally parked his delivery van in a handicap spot.
The 21-year-old driver was talking to another Amazon driver at the time, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The 65-year-old man confronted both drivers about being parked in a handicap spot, according to St. Charles Police Lieutenant Tom Wilkison. Even though the 65-year-old man had a handicap parking placard, it was unclear whether he was handicapped, Lt. Wilkison said.
The older man pulled out a cell phone so he could record the illegally parked delivery van. Then the two began to struggle over the phone, Lt. Wilkison said.
During the argument, the two men were involved in a “hands-on” confrontation, according to police.
The 65-year-old man fell to the ground during the struggle. He then took out a handgun and shot the 21-year-old one time in the back while the younger man was walking away, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The gunman then went to a shoe store where he was arrested and police recovered a gun.
Amazon said in a statement that the 21-year-old driver didn’t work directly for Amazon but worked for a contracted company.
“This is a terrible incident and our thoughts are with the driver,” Amazon said in a statement, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We will work with law enforcement and the delivery service partner as they investigate.”
Police didn’t release the names of the victim or the suspect.