1 dead, 3 injured in East St. Louis as residents call for change in gun violence

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (KMOV) - Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, multiple rounds of shots were fired at a liquor store on State Street near 83rd Street in East St. Louis.

Illinois State Police confirmed one person was killed and three others were taken to the hospital after being shot. Dozens of people were on scene and nearby, some friends and family of the victims showed up in support.

“When someone gets murdered it affects our whole community,” Skyla Pawnell said.

Pawnell didn’t witness the shooting, but lives in East St. Louis. She said she knows the story of gun violence all too well.

“Two years ago, my son was a victim of violence. This same tragedy happened to my son,” Pawnell explained.

Pawnell’s son Aaron was shot and killed in East St. Louis. She said Wednesday night’s shootings hit close to home. On scene, you could see dozens of shell casings, cars with bullet holes and dozens of police officers. Both East St. Louis and Illinois State Police responded to the incident.

“I’m scared for my grandkids and my kids to go outside. We need some of our leaders to step up and help East St. Louis. We need help here because of the gun violence,” Kim Shanklin said.

Shanklin, another East St. Louis resident, said change needs to be happening at the state and local levels. She’s now calling on her councilmen and lawmakers to do something about the violence.

“We need better gun laws. It’s just crazy cause it seems like everybody got a gun,” Shanklin explained.

Now, these residents are working to make a difference in their own neighborhoods. After Pawnell’s son was killed, she started the group ‘Family Against Gun Violence.’

“We came up with a group and we just started off like sending grief books out to people who was victimized,” Pawnell said. “Our main thing is to let them know they’re not alone and there is someone out there that’s fighting not just for my child, every boy, girl, I don’t care what color they are. When they’re a victim, they’re a victim.”

Illinois State Police said the investigation is ongoing. Police have not reported anyone in custody or any suspects of interest. It’s also not clear if this was an isolated incident.

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