ST. LOUIS – One teenager was killed and nine others injured in a shooting at an overnight party in downtown St. Louis. The terrifying moments were caught on camera as teenagers ran for their lives.
“Wrap your arms around your children today as we mourn,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said.
Police said nine people were shot at a party on the fifth-floor of a building in the 1400 block of Washington Avenue.
St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy identified the victim killed at the party as 17-year-old Makao Moore.
“Additionally, a 17-year-old was possibly tramped coming down the stairs running from the scene, and has serious injuries to her spine at this time,” Tracy said.
The other victims’ suffered the following injuries:
19-year-old male shot in the arm, groin, and legs
19-year-old male shot in the back
18-year-old male shot in their left side
17-year-old male grazed by a bullet to the face and treated by paramedics at the scene
16-year-old female shot in the leg
16-year-old female shot in the lower back
16-year-old female grazed by gunfire to the ankle
15-year-old female grazed by gunfire to their left side
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, city leaders decried the violence and said the tragic event never should have happened.
“Downtown is not a 1 a.m. destination for your 15-year-old. It’s a rule I make very clear in my own household, and it’s not a place to drop your children off unsupervised,” Jones said.
“Juveniles in possession of firearms. Juveniles out at one o’clock in the morning. … Half of the individuals, including the suspect, who does not live in the city, and the 11 others, half of them live outside the city,” Tracy said.
The police chief said detectives are talking with witnesses and investigating the location of the party.
“Multiple firearms were recovered at the scene; including AR-style rifle pistols, as well as a handgun,” Tracy said. “Which was found to be in possession of a person of interest, who is a juvenile, [who] was taken into custody by plain-clothes detectives.”
That person of interest is also 17 years of age.
Anyone with additional information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers, where you can always remain anonymous, at 866-371-8477.