Girl, 11, is 2nd child fatally shot in St. Louis in 2 days

ST. LOUIS – Police in St. Louis said Tuesday they were investigating the shooting death of an 11-year-old girl, the second child to be shot and killed in the city in two days.

Charnija Keys was shot in the head about 11:40 p.m. Monday, police said. They are calling it a “suspicious death,” and homicide detectives and child-abuse investigators are handling the case.

No arrests have been made, and no other details were immediately released.

A 3-year-old girl was killed Sunday night in a drive-by shooting. A second child was critically injured in that shooting. There also have been no arrests in that case.

In a Twitter post, Mayor Lyda Krewson called Sunday’s shooting “Outrageous, abhorrent, unthinkable. Unbearable pain for these families.”

St. Louis has seen 77 homicides so far this year, a slight increase from the same period in 2018. The city often has among the highest homicide rates in the U.S.

The Board of Aldermen’s budget committee recommended last week that $500,000 be set aside starting July 1 for an anti-crime effort. Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards would determine which program, but one under consideration called Cure Violence seeks to resolve conflict and change the culture of high-crime areas.