Two arrested after 11-year-old boy shot during dispute over clothing in East St. Louis

Two people have been arrested in connection with a shooting that injured an 11-year-old boy in his chest in East St. Louis Thursday, according to police and media reports.

The child’s condition was not available but he was taken to an area hospital. The suspects’ names have not been released since, as of late Thursday morning, they had not been charged.

Police Chief Cantrell Patterson reported the shooting occurred when two women were in a dispute with the victim’s mother over clothing they wanted returned, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The shot was fired from outside the boy’s home but apparently went through a wall and struck the child, the chief told the St. Louis newspaper.

The shooting occurred at about 12:13 a.m. Thursday in the 1400 block of North 39th Street, Illinois State Police said in a statement.

Two suspects were arrested by the East St. Louis Housing Authority after information about them was sent to surrounding agencies, ISP said.

Illinois State Police said its Public Safety Enforcement Group, or PSEG, was notified of the shooting but no other information was available.

The boy, whose name has not been released, has never been enrolled in East St. Louis School District 189, according to a district spokeswoman.

This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 11:13 AM.