ST CHARLES, Mo. — A 15-year-old girl from Lake St. Louis died at the hospital Saturday night after police said she was shot by two teenagers in a robbery earlier in the night.
According to a news release from the St. Charles Police Department, the shooting happened near the intersection of Oak Avenue and Perry Street. A 17-year-old boy told police he and the girl were in the area to meet two males at about 8:50 Saturday night.
When they arrived in the area, the two males approached them and announced a robbery. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the girl while she was still inside the car.
"It certainly wasn't a random act. It wasn't like these teenagers were just driving down a street and were just haphazardly approached by these individuals," St. Charles Police Lieutenant Tom Wilkison said.
The boy then drove to St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Charles, where the girl was later pronounced dead. On Tuesday, she was identified as Lydia Elking of Lake St. Louis.
A spokesperson for the Wentzville School District said she was a sophomore at Liberty High School.
In an update Monday afternoon, St. Charles police said the suspected robbers were teenagers, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old.
"The parents of the teenagers have been contacted and are being interviewed by the police department along with the 17-year-old boy," Wilkison said.
Police said tips from the community led them to the suspects, who were taken into custody. Police said they also found a 9mm Smith and Wesson in a St. Charles home which they believe was used in the shooting.
“We ended up finding on the cameras that the assumed fugitive ran between a couple of my neighbors’ houses and across the street,” nearby neighbor Laura Routh said.
Routh sat at home Saturday night, unaware of the chaos her own surveillance camera captured outside.
“We’ve never had something like this happen in our neighborhood," she said.
Her own doorbell footage showed a person running through the street and cutting in between some of her neighbors' houses, in a direction away from where the crime happened.
She turned her footage in to police.
“It makes you not wanna answer your door and not talk to people because you don’t know the intentions of people," she said.
Routh said the corner of Oak and Perry is a peaceful place.
“We’re a friendly neighborhood so you wouldn’t think a crime like this would happen," Routh said.
She said she and neighbors alike should watch out for themselves, and each other.
“Know where you’re at, know what you’re doing. Keep an eye out for your neighbors too," she said.
Police said they were still trying to determine why the teens agreed to meet the suspects at Oak Avenue and Perry Street.
He said the neighborhood does not typically see violent incidents.
"St. Charles is not immune to violent crime as evidenced by this incident," he said. "It disturbs us that it happens here. We're parents ourselves."
The suspects, who are not being named because they are juveniles, were each charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and armed criminal action in St. Charles County Family Court.
A GoFundMe page was started to help with funeral costs. In the first two days, the campaign raised more than $87,000.
Anyone with information or surveillance video was asked to call the St. Charles Police Department at 636-949-3309.