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UPDATE at 5:35 pm with statement from the archbishop.
ST. COUNTY OF LOUIS • An armed gunman sexually assaulted at least one person and shot a woman Monday afternoon at a Catholic supplies store in a Manchester Road mall before disappearing, police said.
A manhunt was still going on several hours after the shooting, reported at 3:19 pm.
A spokesman for the police said at a press conference around 5 pm. that the investigators had "no idea" of the motive and that the man did not seem to know the victims. McGuire encouraged anyone with information or suspicious things to call 911 immediately.
"We have an armed and armed man who has already killed a person," said the St. Louis County Police Sergeant. Shawn McGuire said.
He added that the woman had been seriously injured during the shooting and that she was still alive, but that she had no other information about her.
Witnesses described the attacker to the police as a white man about 5 feet 7 inches thick. He was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans with a large belt. He wore a black or gray hat. The police were looking for the gunman in the area.
"No details are too small to be reported," police said.
Police closed the mall in a non-legal county area near Queeny Park on the north side of Manchester Road between Interstate 270 and Highway 141. Mr. McGuire reported that Officers had searched the area and were not sure whether the man had left on foot or not. in a vehicle.
They asked people to avoid the area while the police were investigating.
"Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible Catholic Supply tragedy," said Archbishop Robert J. Carlson in a statement. "We pray for these victims, especially those who are in critical condition, and we join with the civil authorities to ask the community for assistance in apprehending the perpetrator of this crime."
The officers were first brought to the scene by a 911 caller who reported that the gunman had entered the store and ordered the women to undress under a gun, and had sexually assaulted several men. Between them before pulling one of them to the head. McGuire said that at least one sexual assault had occurred inside the store, but did not know how many victims there had been.
Shala Malik, 32, was helping a client at her family store, Salam Market, in the same mall, shortly before seeing two police cars parked in the nearby store.
In a few minutes, more police vehicles and an ambulance arrived.
"All I could see were flashing lights," said Malik.
She saw paramedics carrying a woman out of the store on a stretcher, she said. The officers told him that a man had shot him inside. She wondered if the shooter was trying to steal the store.
"It was very shocking for us," she said. "I'm surprised I did not hear any screams or anything."
Malik used to see three women working at the store, but they did not know their names, she said. They sometimes bought food at the Salam market and she sometimes picked up mail that had been accidentally delivered to their store.
Several family members and friends called Malik to ask if she was well, she said.
"We're next," she says. "I was constantly wondering, and if it was me?"
"It's so sad, I hope they find the guy who shot him."
Denise Hollinshed, Nassim Benchaabane and Rachel Rice of Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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