ST. PETERS, Mo. – Police in St. Peters are still searching for the man they claim tried to rob a woman last Friday and then shot her in the face.

This happened in the parking lot of Schnucks at Highway 94 and Jungermann Road.

Luckily, that woman survived the shooting, but she is recovering in the hospital with serious injuries. The shooting has people on edge in St. Peters.

“It was kind of a shock because this is the first time that we’ve ever heard anything of this nature happening close to us,” said David Wyatt, who lives nearby and has shopped at that Schnucks for 30 years. “Especially, it’s only a mile away from us, and usually it’s just a quiet area.”

Sgt. Melissa Doss, a spokeswoman for the St. Peters Police Department, said investigators believe this was a robbery attempt.

“The individual did not get away with any of her property or money, but we believe that was the motive behind the assault,” she said.

Officers said the victim got into the passenger seat of her car while her husband finished unloading groceries at the back of their car. Suddenly, a man got out of a silver SUV, opened the passenger door where the woman was sitting, and struggled with that woman. He then shot her in the face, got back in the silver SUV, and took off. Police believe this attempted robbery is random.

“We’ve noticed an uptick of stolen vehicles, criminals becoming more brazen. Riding around in groups to steal property and becoming more brazen, we have noticed that,” Doss said. “But the violent crime of our residents being assaulted during these events, those are still very rare.”

Wyatt said even though these types of crimes are rare, he is always aware of his surroundings.

“We are very vigilant on where we go, where we park, who is parking there, who is walking in and out, because you don’t know if they are there on business or on criminal activity,” he said.