ST. LOUIS — Two men are in the hospital after a shooting in south St. Louis Wednesday afternoon.
Officers responded to the 4100 block of Meramec, which is in the Dutchtown neighborhood, around 3:10 p.m.
A 37-year-old man and 20-year-old man were found with gunshot wounds to their legs.
The 37-year-old told police he was in the area when he heard an argument between several unknown people nearby and then he heard multiple gunshots.
Both men were transported to a hospital. Police did not provide their conditions, but said their vitals were stable when they were transported.
Violent crime is up significantly in the Dutchtown neighborhood.
The number of people killed in the Dutchtown neighborhood have more than doubled from 2018 to this year.
Last week, city leaders announced the Dutchtown neighborhood was picked to be part of ‘Cure Violence.’
‘Cure Violence’ works to combat violence in neighborhoods by treating it like a disease. The program works to connect residents with access to resources they need while also training people who live in the communities to work to break-up conflict, identify at-risk residents and "interrupt" potentially violent situations.
The Board of Aldermen approved $5 million in funding for the violence prevention program in October.
The city chose the locations based on crime analysis data from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Mayor Krewson's spokesperson Jacob Long said.
The St. Louis City Department of Health will oversee the initiative.
