Quick Action Follows Incidents on Delmar Loop

Almost a year after Delmar Loop business owners took their to the , another incident Saturday brings the issue back to the forefront. 

A crowd of teenagers fought in the area Saturday night, leaving two with gunshot wounds. The incidents happened on Delmar Blvd. in the city of St. Louis. By Sunday evening, people were shopping and eating in the Loop, with no indication of the turmoil of 24 hours earlier. 

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, police responded around 8:38 p.m. to the area of Skinker and Delmar boulevards, where a crowd of about 200 to 300 youths had congregated. Fights broke out, and one person fired shots into the air, police said.

Then, after 11 p.m., shots were fired in Church's Chicken's parking lot at the corner of Delmar and Skinker.

One victim was shot in the arm and the other in the abdomen. A 19 year old is in critical condition and a 17 year old in stable condition, Fox 2 News reported Sunday.

Officials from University City and the City of St. Louis met Sunday with Loop business owners. Mayor Shelley Welsch and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay stressed the safety of the Loop area. 

KMOX reported that Joe Edwards, owner of and , said at Sunday's press conference that this was an isolated incident.

"Don’t let one night paint a picture that’s inaccurate. Enjoy The Loop," Edwards said. "Don’t be held hostage by the fact that a couple of kids got a bit out of hand.”

Curfews

St. Louis and University City have curfews for for those under 16. In University City the curfew 9 p.m. and in St. Louis the curfew is 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends.

Surveillance Cameras

A project to put surveillance cameras up in the Loop is progressing and the installation of the first cameras is expected by June. 

U City's Director of Public Works, Parks and Forestry Richard Wilson  on the progress of the $160,000 system at its last meeting in March.

The cameras will be attached to buildings and will provide  with a view of the street and public parking lots. While the cameras had been in the works for years, business owners , which involved hundreds of unruly young people.

Social Media

The incident sparked conversations on Facebook and Twitter Sunday. Bill Schwulst used Storify to capture conversations on the incident. To read over comments, Facebook posts and Tweets on the topic, click here.