ST. LOUIS – A violent Fourth of July weekend in St. Louis ended up with at least seven deaths and 19 people being shot in a series of shootings from Friday to Monday.
Police say some of the victims who died from gun violence this weekend are as young as 17 years old. None of the shootings are believed to be connected to others from the weekend.
Friday
The first shooting of the holiday weekend happened around 1 a.m. Friday. While officers responded to a call for service, they noticed a man unconscious on the ground next to a vehicle. The victim suffered a puncture wound to the back of his head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have identified Jerrod Lee Jones Jr., 26, as the victim.
Another shooting happened near the intersection of Penrose Street and Warne Avenue in the O’Fallon neighborhood around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Police say a man was shot and felt pain in his upper body. He was sent to the hospital, but is in stable condition.
After that, officers responded to a shooting in the 8800 block of North Broadway in the Baden neighborhood. Around 9:45 p.m. Friday, a man ran into a nearby business and said he had been shot. The victim is hospitalized in critical, but stable condition.
Later Friday night, two women were shot in the 5900 block of West Florissant Avenue in the Walnut Park West neighborhood. Police say the women were leaving a business around 10:30 p.m. when they heard gunshots and learned they were struck. Both are hospitalized in critical, but stable condition.
Saturday
Early Saturday morning, just after midnight, police responded to a shooting in the 2000 block of Obear Avenue in the College Hill neighborhood. One victim told police she was sitting outside and thought she heard fireworks. After she felt some pain in her foot, she realized she was shot. Police later learned another man was shot in the foot near that area.
A homicide investigation is underway after two people were shot and killed Saturday afternoon in north St. Louis. The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Sarah Street in the Vandeventer neighborhood. Police say a man and a woman died in the shooting, both who were found in a black Infiniti sedan. The circumstances leading up to their deaths are unknown, and no suspect information is available. Authorities have identified Kahala Fowler, 31 and Wayne Warmack, 37, as the victims.
Around 5 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting in the 1300 block of Convention Plaza in the Downtown West neighborhood. A man was found with gunshot wounds to his knee. He told police he heard glass break outside and went to check to see if his car had been broken into Saturday. The victim was sent to the hospital for treatment, but is in stable condition.
Sunday
Around 3:20 a.m. Sunday, two people shot in the 800 block of Cerre Street, just south of Busch Stadium and Interstate 64. Police say Damion Baker, a CBC High School grad and member of the school’s state championship-winning football team, died from injuries in the shooting. The second victim, a 21-year-old woman, suffered gunshot wounds to her lower body, but is expected to survive.
Also Sunday morning, officers reported one person was shot in the head and another in the hand on Maffitt Avenue in north St. Louis. Both victims are expected to survive.
Later Sunday evening, a man died after a shooting in the 4600 block of Tennessee Avenue in the Dutchtown neighborhood in south St. Louis. Police responded to the scene around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Police have arrested one suspect, a 35-year-old woman, in the investigation and she reportedly informed officers of the incident. The victim, who police identified as 36-year-old man Kelsey Williams, was rushed to the hospital before he died from his injuries.
Monday
Gun violence did not take a break for the holiday. Around 3:30 p.m. Monday, a gunman shot and killed a teen on St. Louis Avenue near North Kingshighway. Police responded to the 5200 block of Vernon Street after an 18-year-old was shot in his back. Crews rushed the victim to the hospital, but he later died from his injuries. Police have identified the victim as Lamantris Sample. Circumstances leading up to his death are unknown, and no suspect information is available at this time.
Nearly one hour later, a 17-year-old was shot and killed in North St. Louis on Union Boulevard and Maffit Avenue. Investigators say an unknown person shot at a vehicle with the teen and two other adults. The victims drove to a firehouse for medical assistance following the shooting, and the teen died after he was rushed to the hospital. Police identified the victim who died as Makahyah Griffin. Police say two others, a 61-year-old and and a 41-year-old woman, were not hurt in the incident. No suspect information is available at this time.
Police responded to another Fourth of July shooting around 10:20 p.m. at Goodfellow Boulevard and St. Louis Avenue in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. A 19-year-old man was shot in the hand, but his injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
And overnight into Tuesday, police say a man was hospitalized after someone shot him multiple times in Downtown St. Louis. It happened around 4 a.m. at Ninth Avenue and Pine Street. Investigators say the victim was shot multiple times in the stomach, though additional details on the shooting are limited.
Additional Information
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is handling each of these shooting investigations. Anyone with additional information in the deadly shootings is asked to contact the STLMPD’s homicide division directly at 314-444-5371 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).
During the Fourth of July weekend in 2020, there were 26 shootings and eight homicides, according to the St. Louis Mayor’s Office. In 2021, there were three homicides and 16 shootings over the Fourth of July weekend.
Nationwide, the Fourth of July weekend ended up violent across the United States, including six deaths and 30 injuries at a Chicago suburb parade shooting and two Philadelphia area officers being shot on Fourth of July.