EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Ten days after a curfew was put in place, the City of East St. Louis has lifted it.
The city imposed the curfew on Sept. 10, a day after a shooting that injured seven people, including a 3-year-old boy. The curfew had run from midnight until 6 a.m. each night.
On Monday, the city announced it lifted its curfew, effective immediately.
"The City wide curfew for East Saint Louis has been lifted as of today," the city posted on its Facebook page. "Thank you for your cooperation."
Three men have been charged in connection with the shooting that happened near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and 6th Street. Seven people were taken to the hospital.
"I’m praying and I’m pleading to our young people to stop the gun violence," East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern said during a press conference announcing the curfew.
He said the curfew was part of the city's "zero tolerance" for violence.
Officials also said they would look into other measures to cut down on crime, including increasing lighting around the city and hiring additional police officers.
Eastern had noted the city's crime had been trending down.
“I just want to say our crime is down 53%,” said Eastern. “Our homicide rate is down 67% prior to these last two weeks.”