St. Louis shooting leaves 6-year-old boy dead and 9-year-old girl critically injured

A 6-year-old boy was killed and a 9-year-old girl left critically injured when someone opened fire on their car in St. Louis on Saturday afternoon.

The children were in the vehicle with a 27-year-old man, a 31-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl, according to a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department incident summary.

The man and woman told police they were in the area of Highland Avenue and North Euclid Avenue around 1:40 p.m. when an unknown person began shooting at them.

The man and woman took the children to a hospital, where the boy, identified by police as David Birchfield III, was pronounced dead, the summary said.

The 9-year-old girl was listed in critical condition, while the 7-year-old girl suffered injuries from shattered glass. The man the woman were unharmed, per the incident summary.

Police saw ballistic damage on the victims’ vehicle and found the scene of the incident. The shooting is under investigation by the police department’s homicide division.

At least 12 children between the ages of 2 and 16 were shot and killed in St. Louis between April and August 2019, angering police and residents.