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14-year-old charged as an adult in connection with Berkeley homicide

Police said Clifton Booze was among a group of people who fired shots on Larry Lane, striking nearby cars and homes and killing a 14-year-old boy.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A 14-year-old boy has been charged as an adult in connection with the shooting death of another boy in March.

Prosecutors charged Clifton Booze Jr., of Hazelwood, Missouri, with one count each of second-degree murder and first-degree assault, two counts each of unlawful use of a weapon and three counts of armed criminal action. 

Two other suspects in the shooting, Taivion Kirk, 19, of St. Louis, and La'Marrion Matthews, 19, of Hazelwood, are facing the same charges. They were arrested on April 1. 

The Berkeley Police Department said the teenagers were among a group of people who fired shots in the 6800 block of Larry Lane on March 26, striking nearby cars and homes and killing a 14-year-old boy.

Police had received calls for a group of multiple juveniles with guns and shots being fired in the neighborhood. Responding officers found the boy, identified in a probable cause statement as J.B., dead in the front yard of a home. He had been shot in the chest. 

Witnesses at the scene identified Booze as one of the shooters.

Booze was booked into the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $750,000 bond.

Credit: St. Louis County Justice Center
Clifton Booze Jr.

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 de-escalate violent situations within their own communities.

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