Amazon driver shot after parking in handicap spot at Target, Missouri cops say

An Amazon driver was illegally parked at Target while chatting with another delivery driver in a different van when a 65-year-old man confronted them, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Both of those Amazon drivers were at the Target store in St. Charles, Missouri, to make deliveries, but one of them was parked in a handicapped spot, KMOV reported. That was at about noon on Tuesday.

While the two drivers were talking in the parking lot, the 65-year-old went up to them and was upset that the Amazon van was in a handicapped parking space, FOX2 reported. The 65-year-old man had a handicap placard in his car, police said, according to the TV station.

He and the illegally-parked Amazon driver — a 21-year-old man — got into an argument that “escalated and eventually turned physical,” KMOV reported. Police said they were fighting because the older man was using a cellphone to “document the illegal parking.”

During a “struggle” over the phone, the 65-year-old fell down, St. Charles Police said, according to the Post-Dispatch. The Amazon driver then started walking away.

While he was still on the ground, the older man shot the Amazon driver in the back, the newspaper reported.

The 65-year-old, who has not been identified by police, walked to Famous Footwear after the shooting and was arrested, KMOV reported. The shoe store is right next door to Target.

“It is rather appalling that somebody would be shot over a parking violation,” St. Charles Police Lieutenant Tom Wilkison said, according to FOX2. “Don’t take the law into your own hands.”

The driver was taken to a hospital in critical condition with the bullet near his spine, according to KMOV. He also hadn’t been identified by police.

In a written statement, Amazon said the driver is employed by a “third-party delivery service provider,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

“This is a terrible incident and our thoughts are with the driver,” Amazon said, according to the newspaper. “We will work with law enforcement and the delivery service partner as they investigate.”