Violent Weekend Leaves 3 Dead, 4 Injured In Multiple Shootings

ST. LOUIS, MO — It was a violent weekend in St. Louis that left three dead and four wounded in separate shootings around the city. KMOX NewsRadio 1120 reports two men in their 40s were found shot in the head Friday in the 900 block of Pendleton Ave., two blocks north of Delmar Blvd. in the north city's Vandeventer neighborhood. Another shooting at the intersection of California Ave. and Osage Street, two blocks northwest of Laclede Park in the south city's Dutchtown neighborhood, left one dead.

The Post-Dispatch reports the men on Pendleton Ave. were found dead in a two-story home where neighbors said one of the men lived. Those neighbors expressed shock and said one of the men had helped catch a loose dog around 3 p.m. Another reported hearing gunshots around 6 p.m.

Four others were injured in three additional shootings between Saturday night and Sunday morning. A woman was shot on Veronica Ave. near Riverview Blvd. Saturday evening. One person was shot in the stomach and another in the leg near the intersection of Hodiamont Ave. and Page Blvd., just east of Skinker, around 9 p.m. Saturday night. And a man was shot early Sunday morning in the 6100 block of North Broadway, across Interstate 70 north of O'Fallon Park.

Police have not released the names of the victims or any suspects in the shootings.

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.

Anyone with information about the shootings should contact St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers toll free at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477). All callers can remain anonymous. Tips can also be submitted through the CrimeStoppers website or free app.

Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch