ST. LOUIS — Police have arrested a 17-year-old suspect in a gas station shooting that left a 15-year-old boy dead.
The deadly shooting happened at a gas station in the Baden neighborhood in north St. Louis just last week.
On Monday, the 17-year-old boy was facing multiple charges as a juvenile, including second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree tampering.
Hamilton's family said they are relieved the teen was caught but say some real change around teen gun violence needs to happen.
On Wednesday, St. Louis police identified the victim as Jamar Hamilton of Glasgow Village in St. Louis County.
"I want justice for Jamar. I really want justice for him," said Marvell Williams, Jamar Hamilton's grandfather.
Justice for Jamar Hamilton is what his family said they are still seeking.
On Tuesday, shortly before 1:40 a.m., officers were called to the Speedy Gas Station in the 8800 block of North Broadway for a shooting. Police said upon arriving, they found Hamilton on the ground with gunshot wounds. Paramedics responded and pronounced him deceased at the scene.
"How Jamar passed away to me, it is like outrageous because I never knew that this would ever happen to him," Williams said.
Williams said his grandson and his girlfriend got a ride from the wrong people at the wrong time when they were out buying snacks at the Speedy Gas Station early Tuesday morning.
"He got caught in the middle of it. Like he had nothing to do with it, he went up there to go to the store, and that's it," Williams said.
Police said Hamilton was with a group of unidentified people when they exchanged gunfire with the occupants of another vehicle.
Williams said his grandson was sitting in the backseat when he was shot at multiple times.
"The other guys ran off and left him. Like y'all started this, y'all left him," Williams said.
The Speedy Gas Station has been the scene of multiple fatal shootings and dozens of calls for service, once again becoming a target of the ire of concerned citizens and an alderwoman.
Williams said he wants Speedy Gas Station shut down.
"That gas station there is just not safe to me. It's not safe. I mean, it can happen to anybody there. Like, I don't wanna ride up to no gas station and feel like it's gonna be my last day of living if I walk in here and grab something and come back out. Who wants to live like that?" he said.
Williams said his grandson deserved better.
"He was a good kid striving to be better and want more out of life. But that was, that was cut short by senseless, senseless violence. He was my first grandson. I love him, and I miss him," Williams said.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested last Tuesday for an unrelated offense and held at the juvenile detention center, SLMPD said. By Saturday, police said homicide detectives met with attorneys in juvenile court to apply for several charges in the death of Hamilton, including first-degree murder.
“It’s really sad that we’re constantly losing our babies at a young age,” St. Louis community activist Precious Jones said.
She said for years the Speedy Gas Station has attracted violence.
“I think it should be shut down because there’s always bad traffic over there. You know you see stolen cars there. People with guns, everything,” Jones said.
“It is an ongoing problem,” 13th Ward Alderwoman Pam Boyd said.
She called the gas station a “neighborhood nuisance.”
In a statement sent to 5 On Your Side, Boyd also said, “The gas station situated at the intersection of Broadway and Riverview has been the location of multiple homicides and has recorded a total of 49 calls for service in the past year alone. This is the current situation I am confronting as the representative of this ward.”
But, not everyone wants to see the gas station go.
Across the street at a family-run tire shop, Emmanuel Zoway said, “The business should remain open because it’s not the problem.”
“I can tell you the gas station owner is a nice guy. He really tries to help the neighborhood any way he can. It’s some of his customers, people with guns and drug dealers who are causing all the problems over there. They go to that parking lot argue, fight and do whatever and give the business a bad name,” Zoway said.
Williams said they're in the process of trying to plan a funeral without the financial means to do so. Community members have started a GoFundMe to support Hamilton's family.
Anyone with information about the incident was asked to call the Homicide Division directly at 314-444-5371. Anyone with a tip who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a possible reward can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).