ST. LOUIS — The death of a 3-year-old boy in St. Louis has been ruled a homicide.
At around 2:23 p.m. Friday, St. Louis police officers were called to the 2600 block of Rutger Street for a report of a child being struck by a car.
When officers arrived, they found the boy unconscious and not breathing. He also had bruises throughout his body, police said.
The boy was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. On Wednesday, he was identified as Emmanuel Ware.
According to a police source, the boy’s mother arrived home after a job interview and found him unconscious on the living room floor. The mother’s boyfriend, who was babysitting at the time, told her the boy was hit by a car on Jefferson Avenue a couple of hours earlier, according to a police report from the source.
The boyfriend then left the home and the mother called police.
The child abuse and homicide divisions are leading the investigation. The incident was first being investigated as a suspicious death but the medical examiner confirmed it was a homicide.
No other information about the incident has been released.
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/
