Jenny ShaoFour young men leaving a St. Louis nightclub were shot at early last week near campus, according to a press release from the University City Department of Police. The men, who were attacked by unknown assailants, attempted to escape in their vehicle, but were chased west down Forest Park Pkwy. and shot at as they neared the intersection of Forest Park Pkwy. and Big Bend Blvd.
University City Police would not say if any arrests were made. The shots were fired at 2:07 a.m. on March 12.
“I saw a white, four-door sedan driving past my window and make a U-turn,” said junior Erin Beck, who saw the incident firsthand. “As it went into the intersection someone came out of the sunroof, pulled a gun, and fired six or seven shots at where I imagine there must have been another car off towards the Hi/Tec Copy Center.”
Beck immediately called 911, heard three more shots while she was still on the phone, and saw the white car turn around and drive southbound down Big Bend.
Two of the victims fled on foot, and University City Police apprehended the other two near the scene of the shooting, said Beck.
“There were two or three shots that had hit the car door and others hit the window on that salon,” said Beck, who went down to speak with police once they arrived. “Other than that we didn’t really see where things had hit.”
The nightclub, located on Olive Street and North Compton Avenue, is approximately 6.5 miles away from the intersection where the shooting occurred. No injuries have been reported from this incident.
University City Police said that the suspects were driving a white Monte Carlo occupied by several males. Beck said police told her that they had apprehended the Monte Carlo soon after the shooting, but she did not know if there were people in it at the time.
University City Police Captain Michael Ransom would not comment further on the investigation or say if police knew whether the guns used were legally registered. He called the incident “unusual” and said that “students should not have to worry” about a repeat episode.
Director of Campus Police, Don Strom, also emphasized the arbitrary location of the shooting in regards to the University.
“It was a coincidence that the episode happened there as much as anywhere else,” he said. “The cars slowed down there for whatever reason. The shots had started somewhere else. It’s a very isolated episode.”
Junior Brendan McCarthy was awake and doing homework when he heard the squeal of car tires early Monday morning and saw a volley of shots fired from the Monte Carlo. “Initially I was just shocked,” said McCarthy. “It’s not something you expect to happen outside your dorm window.”
Within seconds, several police cars and three ambulances rushed to the scene and began collecting the discarded bullet casing and examining the crime scene.
“You certainly don’t like this stuff happening so close to campus, but it started at a nightclub, so there’s no security steps the campus could have really helped to prevent this,” said McCarthy.
Beck said that while she felt unfazed when she first heard the shooting, she is now taking extra safety precautions around campus.
“The fact that it happened right outside my window was not that unsettling, but as the days have gone on I have found that I feel increasingly less secure on campus. I’ve been driving my car everywhere. I feel very nervous anytime I’m walking around campus after dark, sometimes even if I’m in a building,” she said.
Strom doubted the likelihood of a similar incident occurring close to Washington University, but said, “If you appear to hear gunfire, get away from that area and contact the police immediately.”
Captain Ransom encouraged anyone with more information regarding the shooting to call the University City Police Department at 725-2211.