ST. LOUIS — Two 16-year-old boys are in the hospital after they were shot hours apart overnight in separate drive-by shootings.
Both boys were in critical but stable condition as of Saturday morning, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said.
The first shooting happened at around 8:45 p.m. Friday in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. Officers responded to the 3800 block of Sullivan Avenue and found the 16-year-old boy lying in a back alley with a gunshot wound to his collarbone. He told police he was in the back of a home on Sullivan with friends when an older-model gray sedan drove through the alley. The boy heard gunshots coming from the car and was struck.
The second shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday in the Mark Twain neighborhood. Officers responded to the area of Lillian and Geraldine avenues, where they found a boy who had been shot in the right lower side and right arm. He told police he had been walking south on Union across from a BP gas station when a black Mazda 3 drove north on Union. Someone wearing a black ski mask leaned out of the window and fired multiple shots at the boy.
Both shootings are under investigation. Police did not say whether they believed the shootings were connected.
Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
Cure Violence is an international organization that is present in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities.
