The faces of 7 of the 10 children who have died of gun violence in 2019 in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Xavier Usanga's toy tricycle sits on the wall of his home as a school bus passes on North 14th Street on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, the day after he was shot and killed in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Xavier was to begin second grade today at nearby Clay Elementary. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
Neighbor Gail Kennard, right, mourns with Tracy Wafford, the grandmother of 3-year-old Kennedi Powell on Monday, June 10, 2019, after the girl was struck in the chest outside Wafford's home during a drive-by shooting on Michigan Avenue Sunday evening. A second child, 6, was also shot and listed in critical but stable condition in a local hospital. Kennedi's aunt, Levetha Williams, is at left. "Who the hell shoots at children?" asked Kennard. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
ºüÀêÊÓƵ police officer Emily Ilse talks with Angel Usanga, 12, left, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. Angel is the sister 7-year-old Xavier Usanga who was shot and killed by a stray bullet on Monday outside his home. Officer Ilse and her partner arrived quickly at the scene of the shooting and tried to save Xavier's life by putting him into their cruiser and racing the boy to the hospital, while they applied pressure to his wound. Despite their efforts to save the boy, Xavier's injuries were too serve to survive. Also pictured is Xavier's father Ifiok Usanga, third from the right. Photo by David Carson, dcarosn@post-dispatch.com
David Carson
Stuffed animals surround a photograph of Kennedi Powell, 3, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood on June 9, as part of a memorial photographed on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, that still sits outside her grandmother's home along the 4600 block of Michigan Avenue. Oriel Smith, 6, was also shot during the drive-by shooting and survived. No arrests have been made in the case. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
Tracy Wafford, the grandmother of Kennedi Powell, 3, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood on June 9, removes a tarp that still protects her granddaughter's memorial from rain on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, outside her home along the 4600 block of Michigan Avenue. "When I am walking up the street, I can still see her lying on the ground," said Wafford. Oriel Smith, 6, was also shot during the drive-by shooting and survived. No arrests have been made in the case. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
Rose petals, candles and stuffed animals surround photos of Xavier Usanga, 7, at a memorial on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"He was his own little super hero. He was just an angel," said Billie Jean Weiss, a neighbor and friend of the Usanga family, who adds family photos to a memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. "I am going to be here every night until his funeral," said Weiss. To the left is Joliyah Moore,7, who lives up the street, a friend to Xavier. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
Plastic super heroes, favorite toys of Xavier Usanga, 7, are displayed on a concrete wall in front a memorial for Xavier on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Friends and family nicknamed him "X-Man? for his love of super heroes. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
Rose petals, candles and stuffed animals surround photos of Xavier Usanga, 7, at a memorial on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"He was his own little super hero," said Billie Jean Weiss, a neighbor and friend of the Usanga family, who adds family photos to a memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. "I am going to be here every night until his funeral," said Weiss. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"I just don't want to think about it. He was always smiling," said Joliyah Moore,7, a neighbor and friend, who plays in front of memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"He was his own little super hero. He was just an angel," said Billie Jean Weiss, a neighbor and friend of the Usanga family, who adds family photos to a memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. "I am going to be here every night until his funeral," said Weiss. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"When you wake up it kills you. You just want to close your eyes again. My whole life all I wanted was to raise my kids," said Ifiok Usanga, the father of 7-year-old Xavier Usanga, who hugs a friend on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. The front door of his home behind Usanga is decorated with Xavier's and his sister's hand prints. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"When you wake up it kills you. You just want to close your eyes again. My whole life all I wanted was to raise my kids," said Ifiok Usanga,the father of 7-year-old Xavier Usanga, who hugs a friend on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. The front door of his home behind Usanga is decorated with Xavier's and his sister's hand prints. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan
"When you wake up it kills you. You just want to close your eyes again. My whole life all I wanted was to raise my kids," said Ifiok Usanga, the father of 7-year-old Xavier Usanga, sitting on his front steps Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. The door behind Usanga is decorated with Xavier's hand prints. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
The shootings started in April and accelerated as summer approached. First it was a 2-year-old, killed beside his mother. Then a 16-year-old girl, left in a high school parking lot. By the end of June, seven children had died, more than all of last year.
But they didn’t stop. Next came the teen at the gas station. Then the 10-year-old with the smile. Most recently, it was second-grader Xavier Usanga, killed on Monday in his backyard, playing with his sisters.
The toll is now 10, on pace for the worst summer in years.
Police have made an arrest in just one of the cases. And the mayhem has left brass begging for leads, politicians promising change, and parents at wits’ end: frustrated by lackluster investigations, pointing fingers at neighbors, and crushed by the loss of their children.
“In a way I’m kind of happy he died at 7,†Xavier’s mother, Dawn Usanga, said Thursday at her home, near a memorial built with candles and teddy bears. “These streets didn’t have a chance to ruin him. He could have just as easily been swept up in this war, and the boy who shot him could have been my boy someday.â€
Across the region — from Franklin County to the Metro East — 17 children have been shot and killed this year. But nowhere has there been more than in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. And it’s never worse than now, in the heat of the summer.
Since the start of June, eight ºüÀêÊÓƵ children, instead of hopping through sprinkler spray or slurping down Popsicles, have been shot dead. In the same period last year, just two died. Five the year before.
Mayor Lyda Krewson’s administration has worked since her inauguration two years ago to crack down on criminals, curb violence and shake the reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in America. The police department has paired with federal agents to target gun crimes. Krewson is working to recruit more police officers. She has even asked for help from the State Highway Patrol.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Police Chief John Hayden said in June that the department is redoubling efforts to hunt down “nests†of criminal activity. He said the city is adding officers in affected neighborhoods, increasing the visibility of officers and squad cars citywide, and asking for help from social service organizations to calm potential retaliation.
But the shootings haven’t stopped. And the crimes — even last year’s — aren’t getting solved: Over the past two years, 16 children have been shot and killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, yet police have made arrests in only three cases. In comparison, metro-area police departments outside of the city have made arrests in half of the 20 child-shooting deaths over the same span.
Mayor Lyda Krewson says city police are working as fast as they can.
“They want to make arrests as quickly as possible,†she said on Wednesday. “There is no foot-dragging on these cases. There is nothing casual about them.â€
Hayden declined to be interviewed for this story. But his statements after Xavier’s death echo the chief’s most public concerns:
“This case should be solvable,†Hayden said at a press conference then. “This can’t be, ‘I’m afraid to talk to the police.’ I’m hoping people will listen to my plea.â€
Several family members said they know who shot their children, and have told police.
Others said they haven’t.
“Around ºüÀêÊÓƵ, we don’t snitch on people,†said one victim’s brother, who refused to give his name. “We keep it in the streets.â€
Details on 10 of the children killed by gun violence
Here are the 10 ºüÀêÊÓƵ area children killed by gun violence
Xavier Usanga's toy tricycle sits on the wall of his home as a school bus passes on North 14th Street on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, the day after he was shot and killed in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Xavier was to begin second grade today at nearby Clay Elementary. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Neighbor Gail Kennard, right, mourns with Tracy Wafford, the grandmother of 3-year-old Kennedi Powell on Monday, June 10, 2019, after the girl was struck in the chest outside Wafford's home during a drive-by shooting on Michigan Avenue Sunday evening. A second child, 6, was also shot and listed in critical but stable condition in a local hospital. Kennedi's aunt, Levetha Williams, is at left. "Who the hell shoots at children?" asked Kennard. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ police officer Emily Ilse talks with Angel Usanga, 12, left, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. Angel is the sister 7-year-old Xavier Usanga who was shot and killed by a stray bullet on Monday outside his home. Officer Ilse and her partner arrived quickly at the scene of the shooting and tried to save Xavier's life by putting him into their cruiser and racing the boy to the hospital, while they applied pressure to his wound. Despite their efforts to save the boy, Xavier's injuries were too serve to survive. Also pictured is Xavier's father Ifiok Usanga, third from the right. Photo by David Carson, dcarosn@post-dispatch.com
Stuffed animals surround a photograph of Kennedi Powell, 3, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood on June 9, as part of a memorial photographed on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, that still sits outside her grandmother's home along the 4600 block of Michigan Avenue. Oriel Smith, 6, was also shot during the drive-by shooting and survived. No arrests have been made in the case. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Tracy Wafford, the grandmother of Kennedi Powell, 3, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood on June 9, removes a tarp that still protects her granddaughter's memorial from rain on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, outside her home along the 4600 block of Michigan Avenue. "When I am walking up the street, I can still see her lying on the ground," said Wafford. Oriel Smith, 6, was also shot during the drive-by shooting and survived. No arrests have been made in the case. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Rose petals, candles and stuffed animals surround photos of Xavier Usanga, 7, at a memorial on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"He was his own little super hero. He was just an angel," said Billie Jean Weiss, a neighbor and friend of the Usanga family, who adds family photos to a memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. "I am going to be here every night until his funeral," said Weiss. To the left is Joliyah Moore,7, who lives up the street, a friend to Xavier. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Plastic super heroes, favorite toys of Xavier Usanga, 7, are displayed on a concrete wall in front a memorial for Xavier on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Friends and family nicknamed him "X-Man? for his love of super heroes. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Rose petals, candles and stuffed animals surround photos of Xavier Usanga, 7, at a memorial on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"He was his own little super hero," said Billie Jean Weiss, a neighbor and friend of the Usanga family, who adds family photos to a memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. "I am going to be here every night until his funeral," said Weiss. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"I just don't want to think about it. He was always smiling," said Joliyah Moore,7, a neighbor and friend, who plays in front of memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"He was his own little super hero. He was just an angel," said Billie Jean Weiss, a neighbor and friend of the Usanga family, who adds family photos to a memorial for Xavier Usanga, 7, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in front of the Usanga home. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. "I am going to be here every night until his funeral," said Weiss. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"When you wake up it kills you. You just want to close your eyes again. My whole life all I wanted was to raise my kids," said Ifiok Usanga, the father of 7-year-old Xavier Usanga, who hugs a friend on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. The front door of his home behind Usanga is decorated with Xavier's and his sister's hand prints. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"When you wake up it kills you. You just want to close your eyes again. My whole life all I wanted was to raise my kids," said Ifiok Usanga,the father of 7-year-old Xavier Usanga, who hugs a friend on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. The front door of his home behind Usanga is decorated with Xavier's and his sister's hand prints. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
"When you wake up it kills you. You just want to close your eyes again. My whole life all I wanted was to raise my kids," said Ifiok Usanga, the father of 7-year-old Xavier Usanga, sitting on his front steps Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. The door behind Usanga is decorated with Xavier's hand prints. Xavier, 7, was fatally shot near his home along the 3500 block of N. 14th Street on Monday in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com