A person is in custody in the shooting death of a 7-year-old St. Louis boy, police say

Police provided no further details.

Xavier Usanga was shot and killed Monday while he and his sisters played in the backyard of their home in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood, police said.

This 7-year-old was supposed to start 2nd grade this week. He's the 7th child to die by gun violence in St. Louis this year

Two men were shooting at each other in the street when the child became another of the city's innocent victims of gun violence, the boy's mother said.

"The bullet went through my son's throat and then grazed my daughter's elbow," Dawn Usanga told CNN affiliate KTVI.

An 18-year old was also critically wounded during the summer night gun battle, according to Major Mary Warnecke, deputy commander of investigative services for the St. Louis Metro Police Department.

He was scheduled to start second grade at Clay Elementary, his mother told KTVI.

Mourners attended a vigil for Xavier on Wednesday night. There were flowers and candles and action figures of Captain America and Iron Man.

CNN's Sheena Jones and Susan Scutti contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)