ST. LOUIS — St. Louis police addressed the violent crime over the weekend in a press conference on Monday.
There were more than a dozen shootings and hundreds of emergency calls. These incidents include two shootings on Cherokee Street while people were out celebrating Cinco De Mayo.
There were 11 shootings across the city in less than a 48-hour span, which does not include a deadly shooting that happened during the press conference on Monday.
In total, six people died and at least 15 others were injured in the city from Friday evening through Monday afternoon.
Police described the incidents over the weekend as "alarming."
According to St. Louis police, from Saturday, May 6 at 3 p.m. to Sunday, May 7 at 3 a.m. police received 639 calls citywide.
One-hundred and seventy-three of those calls came from the Fourth District, which includes downtown St. Louis, Downtown West and other neighborhoods.
The violence started on Friday night when police responded to a shooting on Cherokee Street, where four people were shot total and two died.
Then, early Saturday police said it was a quiet day until they responded to calls of shots fired at the Cinco De Mayo celebration on Cherokee Street. Two people were struck by gunfire and thanks to a video from a bystander, police are now seeking a person of interest.
Police also responded to a call on Destrehan Street late Saturday, where an attempted robbery turned deadly. Police said two suspects approached the victim and all three exchanged gunfire. One of the suspects died.
5 On Your Side asked police in the press conference what they were doing to ensure safety moving forward?
They said they'll have more police presence starting this weekend downtown and across the city.
Major Ryan Cousins, with SLMPD, said they will also work with the St. Louis County Police Department and the Office of Violence Prevention at the mayor's office.
"Our plan is not only to focus specifically on downtown, but we understand that downtown is important, and we understand that all the areas of the city is just as important. We have created a process and a detail where we have presence downtown, but we have our specialized units that are also going to mobilize and be all over in the areas of the city," he said.
Last weekend, police told reporters that there was going to be an increased presence downtown.
Many people 5 On Your Side spoke to over the weekend told us they didn't see police.
When 5 On Your Side questioned police about that they said they were downtown, but the number of calls they got over the weekend had an impact on that plan.
Police not only responded to shootings, but also responded to numerous calls of reckless driving and reports of people walking around with long rifles in downtown St. Louis.
Missouri gun laws do make these incidents challenging, according to Cousins.
"If anyone is a convicted felon, obviously we are going to make an arrest and take their weapons. For the most part it's about people being downtown. We have to create a large presence and hopefully that will deter people from coming downtown or anywhere else in the city and carrying weapons," he said.
Cousins said he understands people's apprehension following the violent weekend, but the incidents are unusual.
Police don't believe any of the incidents are connected from over the weekend.
If you have any information about any of these incidents, police are asking you to call Crimestoppers at 866-371-TIPS. You can remain anonymous.
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