ST. LOUIS — Two separate shootings – one in north city and one in south city – left teenagers injured overnight in St. Louis.
Police received a call for a shooting at 11 p.m. Tuesday in the 4100 block of West Florissant Avenue, which is along the southern edge of O’Fallon Park in north city. Officers couldn’t find any victims when they got to the scene, but while investigating, they heard two people were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police believe a 19-year-old man and 15-year-old girl were sitting in a car in a parking lot while three other teens were in a separate car. The victims said they all heard gunshots and tried to get away. But after realizing the man and girl were injured, the teens from the other car drove them to the hospital. The 18-, 17- and 15-year-olds who were in the other car weren’t hurt.
The victims were shot in the torso. St. Louis police didn’t have an update on their conditions Wednesday morning but said their vital signs were stable.
About two hours later, officers responded to another shooting involving a teenager.
Police received a call for help in the 7800 block of Tennessee Place in the Carondelet neighborhood in south city. They arrived to find a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and last listed in critical condition.
The initial police report suggests the teen snuck out of his house to buy a gun from the person who ended up shooting him. But during the transaction, the victim was shot and the suspect ran away.
The shootings are the latest gun violence incidents involving children in the City of St. Louis. According to 5 On Your Side’s data, more than 50 children have been injured in shootings this year. Last week, four kids were shot over a 10-hour span.