A 16-year-old boy was shot in broad daylight Monday afternoon in St. Louis's Academy/Sherman Park neighborhood, leaving him hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Investigators say the shooting happened around 2:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Union Boulevard, a residential stretch that has seen gun violence before.
According to First Alert 4, the teen was taken to an area hospital following the shooting. Police have not released details about what led up to the shooting or identified anyone as a suspect. Officers are asking anyone with information to call 314-444-0001 and ask to speak with a District 5 detective.
Same Block Saw Violence Just Months Ago
This is not the first time this exact block of Union Boulevard has made headlines for gun violence this year. In July, a 35-year-old man was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the head after a nighttime shooting in the 1400 block of Union, with officers responding to a call that came in just after 10:30 p.m., the same outlet's report notes. A 27-year-old man was later arrested in that case, and police said a preliminary investigation suggested the two men may have disagreed earlier in the day.
It remains unclear whether Monday's shooting has any connection to that earlier incident. No information in the record ties the two cases together, and investigators have not said whether they believe the shootings are related.
Nearby Sherman Park Also the Scene of a Teen Shooting
The neighborhood's namesake park has also been the site of violence involving teenagers. A shooting was reported around 7:30 p.m. one Thursday at Sherman Park, located in the 1500 block of North Kingshighway Boulevard, according to Fox 2 Now. Police said preliminary findings indicated two 16-year-old boys were shot while at the park, and both were hospitalized with critical injuries. One of the victims told officers he was shot by an unknown gunman, and police asked the public to contact St. Louis police or CrimeStoppers with any leads.
Monday's shooting also follows a string of other incidents involving teenagers across the city in recent days. On Halloween night, a 16-year-old boy was shot multiple times while standing at a bus stop in St. Louis' LaSalle Park neighborhood, near Hickory and Tucker, around 10 p.m., Hoodline reported. That teen was listed in stable condition after being taken to a hospital. Hoodline's report also noted that two teenagers, ages 16 and 17, were injured in a shooting in the city's Baden neighborhood on Halloween night back in 2022, though the evidence does not establish any link between these separate incidents.
Homicide Numbers Offer Limited Context
City data cited in that same Hoodline report showed St. Louis recorded 63 homicides in the first half of 2026, down from 71 during the same period in 2025 — the lowest first-half total the city had seen since 2014. That statistic speaks only to homicides and does not establish any broader trend in nonfatal shootings like the one Monday on Union Boulevard, nor does it shed light on the circumstances behind this particular case.
As of now, the teen's identity has not been released, and police have not provided additional updates on his condition beyond critical but stable. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact a District 5 detective.
