Man shot in Atwater during attempted robbery

Atwater police on Monday were looking for the man who shot another man twice during an attempted robbery.

The victim, a 39-year-old man, was shot while struggling for the gun, Lt. Samuel Joseph said. The man was taken to a Modesto hospital, but an update on his condition was not available Monday.

No arrests have been made.

The incident was reported around 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the 2800 block of Crest Road. Police said the suspect, described only as a Latino male in his 20s, approached the victim and the victim’s girlfriend and demanded money.

The victim told the man he had no money and the man then pulled a small-caliber handgun and shot the victim in the stomach, police said.

“The suspect then started to turn the weapon on the girlfriend at which time the victim engaged in a physical struggle with the suspect for the gun,” Joseph said.

Both men fought on the ground before the victim was shot a second time in the torso.

“The suspect stood up and attempted to discharge another round at the victim who was still laying on the ground but for unknown reasons the gun malfunctioned and did not discharge,” Joseph said.

The suspect got into a vehicle, described by police as a blue sports car or possibly a green Mustang, and left the area.

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Man shot in Atwater during attempted robbery."