St. Louis Teen Shot Dead On His 17th Birthday

ST. LOUIS, MO — Seventeen-year-old Armond Latimore was fatally shot in the 3100 block of North Grand Boulevard Saturday afternoon, the Post-Dispatch reports. Just an hour before the shooting, Latimore posted to Facebook that he was glad he'd lived to see his 17th birthday.

Police say Latimore, who was not identified by name, was shot in the head outside a Chinese restaurant where he had gone to get food shortly after 1 p.m. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Latimore's mother, Chandra Payne, told the Post-Dispatch she had gone to the grocery store to get some ice cream for her son's birthday when she got the call from police.

“He was always a helping-hand child,” she told the paper. “He would cut grass, wash your car or sell water. He loved music and loved money and always made it the right way.”

Police don't have any suspects and say, at this point, they don't know why Latimore was shot. They are investigating.

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More than 30,000 Americans are killed by guns every year and twice that number are injured, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 13,000 are murdered. The rest take their own lives or are victims of shooting accidents. Almost half are children or young adults.

Last year St. Louis cracked its 25-year murder record. Per capita, the city ranks third for homicides in the United States and first for non-fatal shootings, according to data from the FBI and Major Cities Chiefs Association.

So far this year, there have been 110 murders in St. Louis, according to a report from the Metropolitan Police Department. The victims are overwhelmingly young black men. Only 42 of the murders have been solved.

Anyone with information about Latimore's shooting should contact St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers toll free at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477). All callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Tips can also be submitted through the CrimeStoppers website or free app.

Read more from the Post-Dispatch.

Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch