A St. Louis Park man was wounded by gunfire Thursday afternoon after returning home and possibly interrupting a burglary.
Eric "Rick" Zahniser, 58, an accountant who works out of his Cedar Lake Road home, encountered a stranger about 2:15 p.m. when he was shot. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, where he was in critical condition, authorities said.
Stacey Tupper, a friend who works across the street at Cedar Manor School, said she noticed police cars outside Zahniser's home Thursday afternoon and rushed over. "That's when I found out he had been shot," she said.
The suspect fled by the time police arrived.
Police are looking for a black male with dreadlocks who was wearing a gray hoodie and stocking cap and driving a white 1990s Pontiac Trans Am or similar car with blue flames or decals on the sides and hood.
Anyone with information should call the St. Louis Park Police Department at 952-924-2618.
MARY LYNN SMITH
