ST. LOUIS — For years, St Louis' 5th Ward Alderman James Page said the Shell Gas Station near North Tucker Boulevard and Convention Plaza has been a public nuisance and a haven for crime.
"They need to leave," Page said. "It's as simple as that."
Deshawn Thomas was charged in Monday's execution-style murder of David Saldana. A bystander captured the shooting, in broad daylight, on camera.
Police said the shooting happened after Saldana and Thomas got into a fight at the gas station.
"A worldwide tragedy," Page said. "I'm so sorry for the victim and for his family."
Page is the executive director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and lives behind the gas station. The frustrated alderman has tried to get the business shut down for the last five years.
"It's amongst the highest single address calls for service in the city of St. Louis," Page said.
Records show that between 2018 and 2020, police responded to more than 1,800 service calls at the downtown gas station. More recently, police have responded to hundreds more regarding shootings and other crimes at the location.
"When we make calls, it takes police 30-plus minutes to even get here," a woman who works at the gas station told 5 On Your Side.
From city hall to nearby businesses, the brazen shooting that happened outside the Globe Building has outraged many.
"That was horrific," St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said. "Our thoughts go out to the victim."
Globe Owner Steve Stone told 5 On Your Side's partners at the St. Louis Business Journal that he's "frustrated by the incident and has endorsed a plan to improve the area."
Two weeks ago, the city's Board of Adjustment ordered the gas station to not operate between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., Page said.
"If they cannot put into practice the safety and security plans that were recommended by the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the St. Louis Police Department, then they need to cease doing business on this corner," Page said.
5 On Your Side's Robert Townsend went inside the Shell gas station to try to speak with the owner Wednesday, but Townsend was told: "He wasn't in."
Townsend also called the owner's lawyer in California and left him a message. As of Wednesday night, 5 On Your Side hasn't heard back.
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