ST. LOUIS – Two and a half weeks into the new year, the fifth, sixth, and seventh homicides of 2023 happened on Martin Luther King Jr. Day., taking place in less than a two-hour timespan.
The first deadly shooting happened just after 8:30 p.m. in south St. Louis City. A 27-year-old woman was killed on California Avenue and Chariton Street. She was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, where she was pronounced dead.
The second happened around 9:15 p.m. in north St. Louis, where a woman around 30-years-old was shot on West Belle Place at Pendleton Avenue. A police report showed she had several gunshot wounds. She was not conscious or breathing when police arrived to the scene.
About an hour later, a 35-year-old man was shot in the torso at Gravois Avenue and Russell Boulevard. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Officers have not explained what led to any of these shootings, or if they’ve made any arrests.
The new police chief Robert Tracy said one of his top priorities is to combat gun violence in St. Louis. His first official day on the job was last Monday.
FOX 2 will update these stories with more information as it becomes available.