ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The investigation continues after a teenager shot and killed another teen Monday afternoon in north St. Louis County.
County police spoke with the media on Tuesday with a message for every firearm owner and the public: too many children are getting their hands on weapons.
“We had another teenager, a 15-year-old girl, pass away from a gunshot injury,” Sgt. Tracy Panus, St. Louis County Police Department spokeswoman, said. “So, we have now had four teenagers, or children, because one of them was four years of age…three of them fatally shot over the last 15 days. All at the hands of other kids.”
The shooting happened in the 10900 block of John James Drive around 4:30 p.m.
“All the suspects, if you will, in these shootings are all very young,” Panus said. “Down below the teenage years and even the teenage years, these are all instances where these guns are in the hands of kids where they shouldn’t be. This is all preventable.
“In the case we handled yesterday, it was a 15-year-old girl shot and killed at the hands of a 14-year-old. So, the 14-year-old is in the custody of the family court. But this appears to be an unintentional shooting. It was reckless. It was kids playing with guns.”
Panus is reminding the public that parents can be charged in such cases.
“We have a responsibility as adults to secure these firearms and keep them away from our children. So, absolutely, adults can be charged with these incidents,” she said.
“The four-year-old who was shot two weeks ago. The grandmother was charged in that because she did not take the means necessary to secure [the gun] and now a four-year-old is dead.”
It’s not just a message of safety for every child in the house, but also potential crime charges for adults who ignore the message of authorities.
Panus said the police department provides gun locks to the public, no questions asked. Residents can visit any county precinct station or police headquarters in Clayton to collect their gun lock.