ST. LOUIS — A 7-year-old boy was supposed to be going back-to-school on Aug. 13, but he was shot and killed the night before.
Xavier Usanga was shot and killed around 5 p.m. in the 3500 Block of N. 14th Street on Aug. 12.
An 18-year-old man was also injured during the shooting. He was transported to a hospital.
5 On Your Side’s Jasmine Payoute talked to Xavier’s sisters on Tuesday. Trinity, who is 10 years old, and Angel, 12, were both there when their brother was shot and killed.
Trinity covered up her face and she was grazed by the bullet on her arm. She saw her brother, Xavier, fall after shots were fired.
Trinity said tried to do CPR on her brother. She said her mom taught her how to do CPR if someone ever got shot or passed out.
“I was thinking in my head, is he going to live or not?” Trinity said.
Angel was checking for her brother’s pulse after he got shot.
She said she’s sad and angry, “He didn’t deserve to die.”
The sisters said their brother was excited to start school. Trinity and Angel were supposed to go to school, but they said they didn’t have their brother to walk with them.
The sisters said they’re scared the people who did the shooting will come back.
Xavier liked to play games and watch YouTube.
“He was just always happy. No matter what,” Angel said.
He wanted to be a YouTuber or a vet because he found a baby hawk with a broken wing near his house last year, and he picked it up and was holding it. He took it into the house and fed it some food. He fixed the broken wing, put the baby hawk outside and it flew off.
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CITY LEADERS RESPOND TO SHOOTING
The scene brought St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief John Hayden to tears during a news conference, a few hours after the shooting.
"This little kid was supposed to start school this week, and it’s not right," said Hayden.
St. Louis Metropolitan police held another press conference at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Deputy Commander of the Bureau of Investigative Services, Major Mary Warnecke pleaded for those who know something to come forward.
5 On Your Side’s Chris Davis spoke with Alderman Brandon Bosley Monday night.
Bosley said he knew the boy. He shared a photo of him on Facebook and said, 'RIP to this little soul Xavier. Please y'all help find his killer! He was murdered today. You need to look in his eyes... See his innocence.'
What you can to do help
A Washington University trauma surgeon said it’s time to start teaching kids how to save lives.
"We just did a class last week in which we had a 9-year-old,” Dr. Laurie Punch said.
When she's not in the operating room at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which treats on average three gunshot victims every day, Dr. Punch teaches people how to stop gunshot wounds from bleeding in a program called Stop The Bleed.
"I've had people, when I tell them about Stop the Bleed, tell me ‘Oh, we can't do this for young kids.’ Tell that to the children who went back to school in St. Louis knowing how many of their classmates aren't in their desks,” she said.
She said the skill would give them power to make a difference "and their ability to not simply live as victims in this warzone.”
To learn when classes are scheduled, visit stopthebleedstl.org.