St. Louis announces up to $100,000 reward in string of unsolved child shooting deaths
St. Louis city officials are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of those responsible for a string of unsolved child murders. There are currently four unsolved cases involving the shooting deaths of children in the St. Louis area. More than a dozen children have been killed in gun violence in the city this summer.
At a news conference Saturday, Mayor Lyda Krewson announced a $25,000 reward for each of four unsolved cases involving children. She noted city officials have expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation in several cases, in part because of fears of retaliation from gangs and drug dealers. The reward offer ends September 1.
According to CBS affiliate KMOV-TV, six people, including three children, died in homicides in the city of St. Louis over the weekend and 16 children have been homicide victims there over the summer. No suspects have been arrested in connection with any of the weekend homicides, police say.
One state lawmaker from south St. Louis requested a special session in the legislature to address the violence. Missouri State Representative Peter Merideth posted on his official Twitter account about the need to increase funding for the Cure Violence program and pointed the message directly at Missouri Governor Mike Parson.
Hey @GovParsonMO: another child killed in STL by gun violence yesterday. Would you consider special session for an approp of $2mil to STL to fully fund the proven CURE program to address violent crime at the root cause? The city has budgeted $500k but needs $2.7 to fund citywide.
— Peter Merideth (@PeterforMO) August 24, 2019