Stray bullet penetrates Alton house, hits woman doing homework in head

An Alton police officer works the scene of a previous, unrelated call. An Alton police officer works the scene of a previous, unrelated call. Photo: Nathan Woodside | Telegraph File Photo Photo: Nathan Woodside | Telegraph File Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Stray bullet penetrates Alton house, hits woman doing homework in head 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

ALTON — Stray gunfire in Alton on early Wednesday struck a woman in the head, as she sat in her home.

She is expected to survive, Alton Police Chief Jason “Jake” Simmons said Wednesday.

The incident occurred just after midnight Wednesday near the intersection of Madison Avenue and Hayden Street.

“A car got shot up and one of the rounds penetrated a house where a college girl was doing a term paper in her room,” he said.

The bullet struck her in the back of the head, and she was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital for treatment.

“We were out last night and all day today looking for some possible suspects in that case,” Simmons said.

There was a report of a string of shots fired earlier in the evening on Bluff Street. Calls to 911 reported two vehicles fleeing the area just after.

No victim was located, but officers did find shell casings. Simmons said they will be analyzed and compared with casings found on the scene of the Madison Avenue shooting, but there was no immediate indication the two incidents were related.

Anyone with possible information regarding either incident is encouraged to call the Alton Police Department at 618-463-3505.