Local experts explain changes in gun violence

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) -- News 4 is taking a closer look at efforts to stop conflict after a quadruple shooting Wednesday in north St. Louis.

A 35-year-old man died in the shooting and three others were injured. A 14-year-old girl was shot and a 3-month-old was hit with glass.

Read: 1 man dead, 3 hospitalized, including baby, in quadruple North City shooting

One local expert said there used to be a time when people wouldn’t open fire and risk hurting children.

“There used to be a code, so to speak, where if there were children or people who were uninvolved were left out so to speak,” SLU Criminologist Professor Kenya Brumfield Young said. “And over the years that has changed dramatically, where it’s gotten to be whatever situation needs to be resolved is resolved at all costs.”

Violence interrupters are part of the Cure Violence program. A representative said the program has helped de-escalate conflicts before they got out of hand. In this incident, investigators said they are unsure of what led up to the shooting.

“It depends on the level of offense,” Anthony Pickens-Bay, Cure Violence site director, said. “If a person is offended by something somebody does or says, whether it be to them or somebody that they love, then violence could be one of the outcomes of the situation.”

The three victims who survived the shooting were sent to the hospital in critical condition.

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