ST. LOUIS — A 12-year-old boy was shot in the hip Thursday night in Ferguson, and police believe he may have been accidentally shot after a fight involving a group of people.
Officers were called at 9:55 p.m. to the 5900 block of Laurette Avenue for a report of a shooting. They arrived to find the 12-year-old boy with a gunshot wound. He was alert and breathing when emergency crews rushed him to a nearby hospital. Police said they believe he’ll recover from the shooting.
As Ferguson police officers were pulling up to the crime scene, they noticed a vehicle driving away from the area that was suspected of being involved in the shooting. Officers pulled over the vehicle and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody.
At this point in their investigation, police believe the 19-year-old fired the shot that hit the boy.
Police are still looking for more people who were likely involved in the incident that led up to the shooting. They believe the gunfire was sparked by an altercation between the man in custody and others who left the area before police arrived.
“At this time, we do not believe the juvenile victim was the intended target of this shooting,” police wrote in a news release.
Police are asking anyone who was in the area and might know more information to call the Ferguson Police Department at 314-522-3100.
The 12-year-old boy was one of three children shot in the St. Louis area late Thursday.
In the city, a 14-year-old boy and 16-year-old boy were shot in the 2600 block of Rutger Lane, which is just south of downtown St. Louis. Police said both were alert and breathing when they arrived. The shooting is being investigated as an assault. St. Louis police have not released any further details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.