Teenager killed, 9 injured in mass shooting in US' St Louis
Jun 18, 2023
St Louis [US], June 19 : At least one teenager was killed and nine others are injured in the mass shooting in US' downtown St Louis on Sunday (local time), CNN reported.
The overnight shooting took place downtown just after 1 am (Central Time), inside a building where a party was being held.
In the shooting, a 17-year-old teen died, according to Mayor Tishaura Jones.
A 17-year-old suspect is in custody, police Chief Robert Tracy said during a news conference Sunday, according to CNN.
"This Father's Day, families across the St. Louis region woke to the news of yet another mass shooting," Jones said.
"It's every parent's worst nightmare, tenfold," Jones said. "My heart goes out to all of the families in pain today. All those attending will carry with them the scars, physical and mental, from the gun violence that tore into their lives," Jines added.
Meanwhile, the injured victims' ages range between 15 and 19 years old, the chief said. A 17-year-old female was also trampled running from the scene and has serious spinal injuries, he added.
Police recovered multiple firearms from the scene, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, Tracy said.
Police are investigating who had authority over the office building and who was responsible for the party.
Looking at the number of mass shooting taking place across the US, Mayor Jones expressed fear and saod that the place which used to be safe is now no more, as per CNN.
Speaking at the news conference Mayor Jones said, "There were places to go and things to do and we were safe. Not so much anymore."
"For our babies living in households struggling to make ends meet, where can they go to see their friends and have fun?" she added.
St. Louis officials are working to create more safe spaces for children to keep them away from dangerous areas, like where Sunday's party was held, by leveraging resources to make investments in youth programs, Jones said, reported CNN.
The mass-shooting is an increasingly alarming problem in the United States.
US President Joe Biden had repeatedly protested for stricter gun laws. Earlier, in February, Biden said the country needs more resources to reduce gun crime and it's high time to ban assault weapons again amid a rise in mass shootings.
In his first major speech to a divided Congress, after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, Joe Biden said, "10 years ago the ban was law, mass shootings went down. After Republicans let it expire, mass shootings tripled. Let's finish the job and ban assault weapons again."
