ST. LOUIS • A man was fatally shot on Cherokee Street Monday night in what police described as an attempted robbery.

James Sapone, 48, and a female companion were returning to their vehicle, parked in a lot behind a business in the 2700 block of Cherokee Street when they were approached by a man and a woman who announced a robbery, police said.

The two women fought, then the male suspect shot the male victim one time and fled on foot, a police official said.

Sapone died on the way to a hospital, authorities said. His female companion was not injured.

Police received several phone calls about the single gunshot heard by neighbors about 9:14 p.m.

Detectives at the scene were examining the victims’ SUV. The parking lot where the SUV was parked is also located behind a permanently closed bank building facing Iowa Avenue. Sapone also lived on the block, according to police.

Sapone, who went by his middle name "Anthony," was a local photographer and artist. His work can be seen on his website.

The scene is near the heart of Cherokee Street's row of restaurants, bars and shops.

“It’s horrible, this gun violence that we have to live with,” Richard Rodriguez, the owner of Yaquis Pizza near the scene of the shooting, said. “On this block, in this neighborhood, and in this (city) and in this country ... some family now is wrecked.”

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