Columbia sees another young shooting victim as childhood gun injuries rise

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gunshot injuries have overtaken car crashes as the leading cause of child deaths in the United States.

And that violence is being seen locally.

A juvenile suffered a gunshot wound in northeast Columbia on Monday night. The victim was taken to an area hospital and the Columbia Police Department says the injury was not life-threatening. It was the latest incident of a minor being the victim of gun violence in and around the city.

Lonnie Lockhart Bey, executive director of Destiny of Hope, was at the scene last night. "The scene last night it was kind of chaotic when you had so many police officers on the scene. So it was a lot of scrambling there was bystanders outside basically watching the scene," said Lockhart Bey.

"I had opportunities to speak to them about what's next. And sort of deescalate the situation because they were kind of feeling hopeless in that moment," Lockhart Bey added.

Destiny of Hope is an organization that works with troubled youth and former inmates to help them find the right path. The organization partners with P.E.A.C.E, another organization that works with troubled youth.

"We have said before it takes a village to raise a child. It's going to take all of Columbia. It's going to take all of the community to come together as one to keep our kids safe and keep them protected," said P.E.A.C.E executive director, Julian Jackson.

Since March, ABC 17 News has reported on five children hit by gunfire in Boone County.

A study published in the Journal of Surgical Research found that gunshot injuries surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of childhood death in 2020. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of children and teens killed by gunshots had risen 50% from 2019 to 2021.

In March, a 9-year-old girl was shot in the 700 block of Demaret Drive. She suffered serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital. In April, a 5-year-old was shot in the 4300 block of West Bellview Drive. Those injuries were not life-threatening.

A teenager was accidentally shot in May in Sedalia. The teen was hospitalized and was stable.

In June, two teens were killed and four others were injured at a vacant home in Boone County. The two teens killed were 16 and 17.

Check back for more information on this developing story.