‘CAN’T CONTINUE’

Second Grader Is 11th Child Shot Dead in St. Louis Since June

“He’ll be in a body bag in a funeral parlor, and that’s not where a kid is supposed to be.”

A second grader killed in St. Louis is the 11th child shot dead in the city since June. Xavier Usanag, 8, was gunned down Monday evening, and a 17-year-old boy was wounded, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police Chief John Hayden teared up as he announced Xavier’s death, and schools superintendent Kelvin Adams vented his frustration at the string of child killings. “He’ll be in a body bag in a funeral parlor, and that’s not where a kid is supposed to be, and it’s happening much too often. We just can’t continue like this,” Adams told the newspaper. Xavier’s family said he was playing in the backyard with his older sister when gunfire erupted.