After a shooting in a Baden gas station: man killed, child in critical condition

Max Diekneite and Liz Dowell

7 minutes ago

ST. LOUIS – A shooting in the middle of a busy street in the Baden district of St. Louis on Thursday followed a fatal shooting there hours earlier. In that shooting, a 34-year-old man died and a six-year-old boy was critically injured.

It all happened around the Convenience Express gas station on North Broadway. Police said on Wednesday that two armed men entered the store around 11 p.m., opened fire and shot the two unidentified victims. The police are still searching for the suspects.

The 34-year-old victim later died. The six-year-old boy has been in a critical but stable condition as of Thursday evening. The man’s mother, who we won’t identify until police release his name, said she is still trying to process the incident.

“I lost my son,” she told FOX 2. “He is an excellent father. I hate that my grandchildren have to do without him.”

SLMPD records show police were called to the gas station 59 times last year. On Thursday afternoon, hours after the fatal shooting, a gun battle broke out outside the store, bringing traffic to a standstill and forcing people in the area to take cover. According to police, there were no reported injuries in this incident.

Locals tell FOX 2 the gas station is a problem spot. But they also said they understand it’s not the company’s fault. The 34-year-old victim’s grieving mother said she agreed.

“It’s not the gas station’s fault. “It’s the people who had the guns on the other end,” she said.

Clinton Bishop Jr. and Antonio Weathersby work across the street from the gas station at CDE Health Care Services. Bishop said he is seeing a lot of activity at the company.

“I won’t lie to you; I’m not going there. I wouldn’t even go there,” he said.

The two men were at work when shots were fired during the rolling gun battle on North Broadway on Thursday.

“We were in the office doing business as usual and the next thing we heard was nothing but bullets,” Bishop said.

Weathersby said he was driving in the same direction as the shooting scene when shots were fired.

“You couldn’t even tell which direction they were coming from because there were multiple people firing,” Weathersby said.

The couple wishes the young people behind many of these shootings would put down their guns and pursue careers. Bishop said CDE Health Care Services is hiring new employees.

“We could change your life,” Bishop said. “Give us six months and we could change your whole life. If that’s what you want, we’ve come to the right place.”

Anyone who has information about the suspects in this case is asked to call the police immediately.