CNN –.

Jones Tishaura according to Louis St. Downtown in shooting overnight an in injured others nine and killed was juvenile one least At.

A workplace area typically functions as the location where a celebration was occurring, within a structure at 14th and Washington, shortly after 1 a.M. CT, downtown witnessed the shooting.

During a press briefing on Sunday, Police Chief Robert Tracy announced that a 17-year-old suspect is presently under arrest.

“On this Father’s Day, families throughout the St. Louis area woke up to the news of another mass shooting,” Jones mentioned.

Jones said, “It’s the worst nightmare of every parent, tenfold.” “My heart goes out to all the families experiencing the pain today. All those attending will carry the mental and physical scars from the gun violence that tore into their lives.”

Tracy reported that the deceased individual was a seventeen-year-old male.

The chief stated that the ages of the injured victims vary from 15 to 19 years old. Additionally, he mentioned that a 17-year-old girl was also crushed while fleeing the scene and has sustained severe spinal injuries.

The authorities recovered several firearms from the location, which included a rifle resembling an AR-15 and a pistol, as stated by Tracy.

Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine who had jurisdiction over the office premises and who was accountable for the event.

During her teenage years, Mayor Jones mentioned that young people often spent their evenings with friends at teen clubs or skating rinks. However, at a recent news conference, she also expressed her concern about the alarming frequency of mass shootings and the threat they present to children.

She said, “They can go where to see their friends and have fun, struggling households make ends meet for our living babies.” “We were not safe anymore, and there were no longer places to go and things to do.”

“Far too frequently, the solution results in something perilous and regrettably catastrophic circumstances such as this.”

Officials in St. Louis are working to create safer spaces for children by investing in youth programs, as Jones mentioned during Sunday’s party that these investments help leverage resources and keep children away from dangerous areas.

This involves summer programs that establish “secure, educational environments” while they are not attending school, she mentioned.

Mayor: ‘Disgraceful’ to raise children in a country overwhelmed with firearms.

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Jones mentioned, “The escalation of dangerous late-night parties in office buildings, where cubicles are transformed into unsafe spaces for young people, highlights the urgent need for our region to offer a safe community and city. In the aftermath of a shooting, it is crucial for officers to respond promptly.”

The St. Louis Employment and Training Agency connects with at-risk youth between the ages of 16 and 24, providing them with opportunities for education and training through programs like YouthBuild. This program also offers summer jobs for young people.

The Office of Violence Prevention in St. Louis also utilizes federal resources to safely organize events like music concerts and movie nights, providing opportunities for kids to gather and engage in various activities.

Serena Muhammad, the deputy director of the Board of Mental Health in Saint Louis, spoke at the conference, highlighting the importance of community members getting involved in offering solutions to provide safe spaces for young people.

The city is focused on overall community wellness, said Muhammad, by providing resources and social events for families to recover from trauma, as well as neighborhood events and out-of-school programs downtown.

The mayor stated that Missouri has one of the highest rates of firearm fatalities in the United States, as per a 2022 research conducted by Everytown for Gun Safety. The primary concern at present revolves around the state’s firearms legislation, in addition to safeguarding children by providing them secure environments.

Jones stated, “Our challenge becomes even more difficult when we have to make laws in a state that has lenient gun regulations. The legislature in Missouri has failed to restrict minors from carrying dangerous weapons, which is a common-sense solution to keep them out of the hands of children.”

During the press conference, Representative Cori Bush of St. Louis, whose congressional district covers all of St. Louis, echoed sentiments about the lack of efforts to decrease gun violence across the US, emphasizing the tragedy of Sunday’s events.

“The legislators in this country, including those in Missouri, are killing our children by enacting weak gun laws that literally block life-saving policies that could help protect our very own people and children. And one may ask, why?”

There have been more than 310 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Bush said, “We can save our children, we can save lives. The truth is that we know how to tackle this preventable crisis. When we sign up to represent all people, we know how to represent people.”

The damage will not cease, as legislators are heavily influenced by the NRA, both at the state and federal levels. Our youth are being prioritized with firearms instead of prioritizing safety over violence. They are making a choice for life over death.

Following the expiration of the 10-year ban on assault weapons in 1994, there has been little political momentum in Congress to address gun violence by enacting significant new federal legislation. However, the rate of mass shootings has increased, highlighting the need for more comprehensive gun safety laws.

Jones expressed, “Embrace your children today as we grieve because I will embrace mine.” “The brutality these children endured last night is insufferable and inadmissible.”