ST. LOUIS – Violence marred Pride Weekend after a shooting left two women injured and multiple fights broke out in the Grove neighborhood after the official celebrations ended.
The incidents occurred in the Grove neighborhood, a popular entertainment district, where large crowds gathered following the Pride events.
In an incident early Sunday morning, a shooting near Manchester and South Sarah resulted in two women being hospitalized. A 34-year-old woman shot another woman in the leg, and a 22-year-old returned fire, striking the first woman in the back. Both women were later arrested.
In a separate incident Sunday night after 10 p.m., officers patrolling the Grove witnessed a fight near Manchester and Boyle. As they attempted to break it up, multiple other fights erupted, leading to chaos in the area.
During the unrest, an officer was transported to a nearby hospital after suffering minor injuries from falling and hitting his head on the ground. Additionally, one officer had a man with a rifle jump on his back and a detective from the Anti-Crime Task Force had a firework shot at him.
During the events, police arrested four people, including a minor, and recovered the rifle. The area was later cleared by around 10:30 p.m.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) is calling for urgent discussions on how to manage unpermitted gatherings in entertainment districts and whether Pride celebrations in the Grove can continue without enhanced safety measures.
“That is so heartbreaking when our community is trying to celebrate pride and people are trying to celebrate who they are that individuals come out who have really no intent on being a part of the positive celebrations,” Mitch McCoy, SLMPD spokesperson, said. “They have very bad intents. There is no reason to bring fireworks into a crowd like this, and there is certainly no reason to have a rifle with you at a pride celebration.”
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.
