The July 4 massacre in St. Louis did not meet police warning criteria

ST. LOUIS – A mass shooting in downtown St. Louis following the Fourth of July events did not meet the criteria for a “real-time alert” from the city’s police department, officials told 5 On Your Side Friday morning.

The shooting occurred after midnight on July 5 near the intersection of 8th and Pine streets and left seven people with gunshot wounds, police said. The victims included a 13-year-old, three 18-year-olds, a 20-year-old and two 23-year-olds. Hospital staff later said all of the victims were in “stable” physical condition.

The shooting also damaged buildings in the area, including the soon-to-open Burger 809 in Citygarden and the Peabody Coal building.

5 On Your Side only became aware of the shooting through bystander emails and videos on social media. When asked why police did not inform the public of the details of the shooting, a department spokesperson said the incident did not meet the criteria for issuing an alert.

“We had a shooting with multiple injuries, but nothing that met the criteria for a real-time alert,” Mitch McCoy, spokesman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, told 5 On Your Side.

The news comes nearly a month after the department moved from sharing crime information with stations to issuing “real-time alerts” through the department’s X account (formerly known as Twitter). The alerts are typically issued by the department to area news stations during critical incidents. The department previously told 5 On Your Side that an alert would only be issued in the following cases:

• Confirmed murder investigation
• Shootings in which someone is seriously injured
• Car thefts that result in serious or life-threatening injuries
• Vehicle and pedestrian accidents that lead to an accident reconstruction must be answered by investigators

“It is important to note that there may be special situations where a real-time alert is not issued,” the department said in an email to 5 On Your Side in June. “For example, when detectives are called to investigate a death, but it is not until after the coroner’s investigation that it becomes clear that it was a homicide. In these cases, the department will post the information on its website. If a criminal incident does not meet the criteria for a real-time alert, details of the incident will be posted on our website later that same day or the next business day.”

This is a developing incident. This article will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.

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