Two double homicides in 24 hours in north St. Louis ends 2-week homicide free streak

ST. LOUIS — Two men were shot dead on their porch at an apartment complex in north St. Louis early Thursday morning, less than a mile away from a quadruple shooting that left two dead Wednesday.

The unrelated killings highlight a persistent crime problem in the city's fifth district, police say, even though reported homicides have recently declined.

"We did have a horrible last 24 hours," said St. Louis Police Capt. Christi Marks. "But, we're keeping our efforts up."

Two men were found dead from gunshot wounds shortly before 3:30 a.m. Thursday at an apartment complex in the 1600 block of North Kingshighway. One victim was a 42-year-old man from St. Ann, and the other was a 34-year-old who lived at the apartment.

Less than 12 hours earlier and about a mile away, four people were shot — two fatally — in the city's Academy neighborhood. Two people died at the scene and two others showed up injured at an area hospital.

In the latter case, investigators believe at least two people exchanged gunfire on a vacant lot near Kensington Avenue. The property is a frequent hangout for people wanting to do drugs and partake in other illegal activities, police say.

A man at the scene in Academy who told the Post-Dispatch he rendered aid to a victim said he was driving around the neighborhood when he heard the gunshots. He said it was a common occurrence in the neighborhood.

"I was at the wrong place at the right time, I guess," he said.

Police have not identified the victims in the Wednesday and Thursday shootings. And no suspects have been charged for any of the crimes as of Thursday.

The shootings come on the heels of a two-week homicide-free period in the city of St. Louis. As of Sept. 16, there were no reported homicides in the city in almost 2 weeks starting on Sept. 3, said Sgt. Charles Wall of the St. Louis city police.

After the latest four killings, St. Louis' homicide count was 113 for the year. At the same time last year, there were 118 homicides. At the same time in 2022, there were 141 homicides.

McCoy said officers who respond to the area frequently have expressed their concerns about the amount of people in the city who own firearms.

"We have a gun problem in our city," police spokesperson Mitchell McCoy said. "We have a gun problem in our state."

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