ST. LOUIS — A 16-year-old boy is in critical condition after a shooting Thursday afternoon in St. Louis.
At around 2:40 p.m., the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department was called to the area of Wilson and Clifton Avenue for a shooting. This is in St. Louis’ Ellendale neighborhood.
When officers arrived, they found the teenager suffering from gunshot wounds. He was conscious and breathing at the scene.
The teen was taken to a hospital where he is listed in critical condition and his vitals are stable. Due to his condition, he was unable to provide a statement to police.
No other information about the shooting has been released.
Dylon Donovan lives just down the street from where the teen was shot in Ellendale.
"It's scary for kids and everybody else involved," he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control's 2018 fatal injury report, firearms are the number one leading cause of death among children and teens in Missouri. In Missouri an average of 97 children and teens die by guns every year.
And 58% of those deaths are homicides.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed said turning the sobering numbers around won't happen until Missouri's legislators adjust gun laws, push for more responsible gun ownership and help communities combat their teen crime problems.
"I'm saying parents need to be on board. I'm saying clergy needs to be on board. Business community also needs to be called," Reed said.
CUT SHORT IN ST. LOUIS
"CUT SHORT: Unsolved Killings of St. Louis Children" is an initiative of KSDK 5 On Your Side and its community outreach program, "Project 5," to raise awareness of the unchecked violence against children in the City of St. Louis from the summer of 2019 to present.
We're dedicated to telling their stories, following the criminal investigations and shining a light on the reasons for gun violence in our city. We won't let up.
Please join us in this important campaign seeking justice for our youth by sharing these stories about their young lives cut short, reaching out to elected officials and supporting the worthy organizations in St. Louis working to make our city's neighborhoods safer places to raise families.