ST. LOUIS — Police have arrested a 17-year-old suspect in a gas station shooting that killed a 15-year-old boy. The location has been the scene of a number of fatal shootings and dozens of calls for service, once again becoming a target of the ire of concerned citizens and an alderwoman.
On Wednesday, St. Louis police identified the victim as Jamar Hamilton of Glasgow Village in St. Louis County. Community members have started a GoFundMe to support Hamilton's family.
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.
Police said Hamilton was with a group of unidentified people when they exchanged gunfire with the occupants of another vehicle.
A 17-year-old male was arrested on 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,” said St. Louis Community Activist Precious Jones.
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,” said Jones.
“It is an ongoing problem,” added 13th Ward Alderwoman Pam Boyd.
She calls the gas station a “neighborhood nuisance.”
In a statement sent to 5 On Your Side, Alderwoman 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 says “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,” said Zoway.
According to SLMPD's incident report on Saturday morning, the suspect in custody could be facing charges of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, armed criminal action, first-degree tampering, and unlawful use of a weapon.
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).