ST. LOUIS — Five people were injured in four separate shootings within 10 hours across St. Louis.
The shootings all happened between Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The youngest victim was a 16-year-old boy.
At 4:15 p.m. Friday, police responded to a double shooting on the 2600 block of Caroline Street in The Gate District neighborhood and found the victims in the backyard of a home.
An 18-year-old was shot in the left arm and a 28-year-old man was shot in the torso. They were taken to a local hospital, where police described their conditions as "stable."
Shortly before 8 p.m., a 22-year-old man was shot in the elbow on the 900 block of River Trail Court in the Baden neighborhood. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
At 8:20 p.m., officers responded to a shooting on the 1400 block of N. 10th Street in the Columbus Square neighborhood. They found a 16-year-old boy shot in the left leg.
The boy told police that he had been standing in a back parking lot in the area when he heard several gunshots and felt pain. He was taken to a local hospital and treated for his injury.
At 2:15 a.m. Saturday, officers were called after a 20-year-old man arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. The man told police he was in a gas station parking lot in the 4700 block of S. Spring Avenue in Dutchtown when two men walked up and demanded his car.
One of them shot him in the leg when he refused. The suspects then ran away. A witness who was with the victim drove him to the hospital.
Investigations are underway in all of the shootings.
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 deescalate violent situations within their own communities.
