ST. LOUIS — In response to the deadly mass shooting in downtown St. Louis over the weekend, 5 On Your Side's I-Team demands answers from leaders in our community.
Mayor Tishaura Jones said she’s doing all she can, while her hands are tied.
“I'm heartbroken," she said.
In an exclusive interview, Jones reacted to the deadly shooting on Market Street on Sunday that left one man dead and five others hurt.
“What is your office doing to make sure St. Louis City is safe?” Senior Investigative Reporter Paula Vasan said.
“It has to be all hands on deck... Our Office of Violence Prevention has contracted with over 30 agencies, grassroots organizations to prevent and intervene with violence when necessary," she said.
Jones explained her Save Lives Now! initiative has invested millions of dollars, with the goal of reducing homicides and shootings in the St. Louis region by 20% over the next three years.
“Through focused deterrence, cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as trusted messengers and community," she said.
She said her office is working constantly with police, but she told the I-Team the biggest roadblock is outside her control.
“The blood is on the state's hands," she said. “The state has preempted us time and time again on passing common-sense gun safety laws on the local level.”
Jones referred to data showing Missouri has some of the highest rates of gun deaths, gun homicides, and household firearm ownership in the nation.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit advocating for gun reform, noted that, “Legislators have shown no momentum for passing gun safety protections, despite the fact that St. Louis is among the top U.S. cities with the highest gun murder rates in the country.”
“We can't just throw up our hands," said Les Sterman with the Citizens for a Greater Downtown St. Louis, a community group focused on safety. He said he believes city leaders and law enforcement must be more proactive.
“We know where these gatherings of young people take place … The police have plenty of tools to, to break up these groups to enforce the law," Sterman said.
In an email, he told us: “In this immediate instance the failure rests with the City and with law enforcement. This event was totally predictable and preventable. Large groups of young people gather late at night either at Kiener Plaza or the City Garden. Inevitably a fight breaks out and someone produces a gun and tragedy results... Longer term, the City lacks a strategy for downtown safety."
Jones acknowledged it’s a constant struggle.
“What's your message to our viewers who are scared about the state of St. Louis?” asked Vasan.
“We are hard at work making sure that that we've deployed the necessary tools to keep St. Louis and safe every day," Jones said.
We reached out to State Rep. Lane Roberts (R-District 161), who leads the committee on crime prevention and public safety, for his response to the mayor’s concerns. We are still waiting to hear back.
St. Louis City Alderwoman Cara Spencer (Ward 8) told the I-Team: “I commend the police officers who got there so quickly. The violence and quick police response, preventing further tragedy, really speaks to the need for policing in the downtown community. Safety and security downtown needs to be paramount for our city and region in order for St. Louis to thrive. There’s more to this than just gun laws. We have to be serious about safety and security in the downtown area. Everyone needs to be involved.”
According to data from St. Louis Metropolitan Police, there have been 71 reported homicides through May this year, compared to 73 through May 2023. There have been 652 aggravated assaults with a firearm through May this year, compared to 811 aggravated assaults with a firearm through May 2023.
St. Louis police said it is important to note that a non-fatal shooting incident would be reported as an aggravated assault with a firearm; however, not all aggravated assaults with a firearm are shooting incidents. Several other types of incidents would be categorized as aggravated assaults with a firearm, such as the flourishing of a firearm, or someone being struck or “pistol whipped” with a firearm.
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