ST. LOUIS (AP) - A 14-year-old boy injured in a drive-by shooting is at least the 30th child age 17 or younger to be shot in St. Louis so far this year.
The boy told police he was walking in midtown St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon when he was shot in the foot by two males in an SUV who knew him, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday. He was able to walk to a hospital, where he is currently treated.
According to the Post-Dispatch, 11 of the 30 shooting victims who are age 17 or younger were killed in what are classified as homicides. Across the St. Louis metro area, at least 57 children 17 or younger have been shot, including 21 deaths, so far this year.
In 2019, there were 13 homicides in that age group in the city, prompting Gov. Mike Parson’s involvement to try stemming the violence, including sending state troopers to help patrol the interstate highways.
Children’s hospitals in the region are reporting a concerning upturn in treating young shooting victims.
Since January, St. Louis Children’s Hospital has treated 76 youths for gunshot wounds, compared with 50 by the end of July in 2019 and 52 in 2018. Those injuries include accidents and some cases of self-harm, the hospital said.
Dr. Lindsay Clukies, a Washington University pediatric emergency medicine physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, said the pattern could be related to children staying at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clukies said accidental shootings often happen in the home, and kids are spending more time in their houses or apartments during the pandemic.
A Post-Dispatch analysis of FBI homicide data last fall found that children in St. Louis have been killed at 10 times the national rate for decades.
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