ST. LOUIS — It's just before 9 on Tuesday morning, and you'd think two 16-year-olds would be in school.
"It's very, very scary to just hear that's happening right here in our streets," said Drew Kahlmeyer.
Kahlmeyer and his wife have lived in the neighborhood for three years.
"This is a very safe, safe street. This cul-de-sac has never had any sort of crime. It's shocking," said Kahlmeyer.
Police say when they tried to stop the teens, one of them ran off.
They say an officer ordered the boy to stop, but the young suspect reached into a satchel and pulled out a gun.
The 29-year-old police officer feared for his life and fired multiple shots.
Police arrested the teenager in a neighbor's front yard.
"We've seen this go on a lot around here in the summer and I thought maybe the weather would have a little bit of something to do with it, maybe curb it," said Dr. Jameca Woody-Cooper, a clinical psychologist and professor at Webster University.
However, the body crimes police say young people are committing, aren't slowing down.
Woody-Cooper says the troubling trend won't turn until one thing happens.
"Courts are going to have to get a lot tougher with the consequences. Punishment is going to have to be swift and it's going to have to be steep and it's gonna have to be consistent also," said Woody-Cooper.
Woody-Cooper says more parents also need to be held more accountable and steer their children away from crime and violence.
Neither the teenage suspect nor the officer was hurt in this incident.
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.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thinking of suicide, help is available 24 hours a day through several hotlines. Use the numbers below or click the links for more information.