OUT OF CONTROL

Number of Children Shot Dead in St. Louis This Year Hits 23 After Two More Killed Thursday

The latest victims in the wave of gun violence were a 3-year-old and a 13-year-old, who were both killed by gunfire Thursday.

The total number of children shot dead this year in and near St. Louis has hit 23 after two kids were killed Thursday. NBC News reports a 3-year-old boy found an unsecured gun and shot himself just before noon, and shortly afterward a 13-year-old boy was fatally shot. Investigators believe the 3-year-old, identified as Rodney March III, found a gun in his parents’ bedroom and accidentally discharged it. The 13-year-old was shot while walking through an apartment complex and police said they do not believe the shooting was accidental. “This is heartbreaking,” said St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar. “It is certainly beyond the pale and heartbreaking when we lose a child anywhere in the communities we live in.”