ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced at least three homicides that occurred in the city and the county within the last week are connected. One of the victims was a teenage girl.
The department held a news conference Tuesday morning to talk about the investigations and provide more details.
The first homicide happened in St. Louis County on Sept. 13. Marnay Haynes, 16, was shot and killed in the 9900 block of Glen Owen Drive.
The second incident happened on Sept. 16 in the 3800 block of West Florissant Avenue. At the scene, police found a woman in her 30s lying in the street suffering from a gunshot wound.
She was taken to a hospital where she later died. Police have not released her identity.
The third homicide happened on Sept. 19 in the 1500 block of Mullanphy Street. Police were called to the area for a “supposed sudden death” and found a man in a vacant lot suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and was later identified as 24-year-old Casey Ross.
Major Shawn Dace with St. Louis police said in addition to working with St. Louis County police, they are also working with federal partners to find who is responsible for these crimes. Dace said the department has requested assistance from the FBI and ATF.
“Both city and county are taking the threat seriously,” Dace said during the conference. “We are thankful for our counterparts at the county for working with us closely.”
During the conference, Dan Isom, interim director for the city's department of public safety, addressed the uptick in violent crimes in the past several days.
“What I’ll say to the public is that we are working on every case, every case is important to us,” Isom said. “We certainly need the public’s help to try to slow this down and stop it but also to hold people accountable and responsible who are the perpetrators.”
Anyone with information on any of these homicides is urged to contact St. Louis police’s homicide division at 314-444-5371 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous.
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.
Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to “stabilize inner-city neighborhoods.” One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program.
To learn more, call 314-381-8200 or visit https://www.betterfamilylife.org/
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.”
To learn more, call 314-327-6697 or email: ProjectLOV@WUSTL.edu
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership between and Saint Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth.
To learn more, visit https://www.ulstl.com/anti-crime-initiative.html
Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities. To learn more, visit https://cvg.org/
The Crime Victim Center is a St. Louis-based organization that works to empower victims by offering resources, counseling, advocacy and referrals throughout the greater St. Louis area.
To learn more, visit https://www.supportvictims.org/