ST. LOUIS — An innocent woman was killed in a gun battle in north St. Louis Thursday afternoon. There were four children inside the car at the time.
Multiple calls came in to dispatchers shortly before 3:35 p.m. for a shooting on North Grand near Kossuth, which is at the corner of Fairground Park in the Fairground neighborhood.
When officers arrived, they found a 25-year-old woman suffering injuries. She was pronounced dead a short time later.
Police believe she was thrown from the vehicle in a crash.
Within 90 minutes of their investigation, St. Louis police detectives determined a “running gun battle” between two vehicles started the violence on Grand. Police confirmed she was not involved in the gun battle and was an innocent victim in the incident.
Police said she likely died from injuries related to the accident and she was not struck by gunfire.
Police said the cars involved in the shooting also hit other drivers who were going north and south on Grand at the time. The woman’s vehicle was involved in a crash. She was ejected from the car.
A total of six cars either crashed or were struck by gunfire in the incident.
There were four children inside the vehicle with the woman, a two-year-old boy, a three-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy.
The 15-year-old suffered a head injury and was taken to the hospital for treatment. She was in serious condition.
The 16-year-old other teenager suffered a broken arm in the crash. The toddlers were not injured.
Police are still looking for the people who were involved in the gun battle. Police said they ran away from the scene.
One of the suspect vehicles, a 2007 Acura MDX, had been reported as stolen out of Creve Coeur.
"At this point in time, we want everybody to stay conscious that some of our shooters now are so brazen they — in broad daylight — are carrying out acts of violence," Lt. Col. Ronnie Robinson said during a news conference at the scene Thursday afternoon. "You’ve gotta be careful wherever you’re traveling as far as our city is concerned at this point."
Sky5 flew over the scene and showed a black car with front-end damage in the middle of the road. There were at least two bullet holes in the windshield. Yellow crime scene tape marked off a section of the street.
Police said the crime scene stretched about four or five blocks. Grand Boulevard was closed during the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Division at 314-444-5371 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS(8477).