A 32-year-old Caseyville man was charged Saturday with eight Class X felonies in connection with a robbery and shooting at Ferguson TV, VCR and Satellite Service in Caseyville Thursday.

Philip W. Smith

Ferguson TV, VCR and Satellite in Caseyville, the scene of a Nov. 14, 2013 shooting / Photo by Roger Starkey

Phillip W. Smith, of the 8800 block of Parkdale Dr., faces six counts of battery/discharging a firearm, one count of armed robbery with a firearm and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Smith is being held at the St. Clair County Jail on $3 million bond.

Police allege Smith entered the business at 105 N. Main St. at 11:28 a.m. Thursday and announced a robbery. He then shot Judy Ferguson, 66, of Caseyville, numerous times. Ferguson underwent surgery at a St. Louis area hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.

Several eyewitnesses contacted police after the incident and Smith was taken into custody little more than an hour later in the 300 block of Brookside Dr. He was positively identified by at least one witness.

Smith was arrested as he emerged from a wooded area that later became the scene of an intense search as police from multiple agencies attempted to located the gun used in the crime. Police also closed Caseyville Laundromat for several hours as they combed the building for clues.

Nearby Caseyville Elementary School and other Collinsville Unit 10 schools were on lockdown during the manhunt.

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