Gunfire Erupts on South 33rd Street as St. Joseph Continues to Deal With Violent Incidents

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — St. Joseph police are investigating another shots-fired incident after gunfire was reported on the city’s south side early Tuesday morning.

Officers were called shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 11 following multiple reports of shots fired in the area of South 33rd Street between Mitchell Avenue and Duncan Street.

According to information provided by an officer at the scene, witnesses reported two vehicles leaving the area at a high rate of speed following the gunfire.

When officers arrived, they found numerous shell casings scattered across the roadway, confirming that multiple rounds had been fired.

Police said early in the investigation that they had not found evidence that a person, vehicle or building had been struck.

The investigation comes as St. Joseph has dealt with several serious shooting incidents in recent weeks and months, raising concerns about how frequently residents are waking up to reports of gunfire in neighborhoods across the city.

A troubling stretch of gun violence

Tuesday morning's incident fortunately appears to have ended without anyone being hit. Other recent shootings have not.

On July 27, St. Joseph police responded to a shooting around 4 a.m. near the Frog Hop Convenience Store on Messanie Street. One person was taken to Mosaic Life Care after being shot.

That wasn't the only gunfire reported that morning.

Hours earlier, at approximately 12:10 a.m., officers responded to the 1500 block of Mason Avenue after receiving reports of shots fired. Police found evidence of gunfire and determined that a residence had been struck. No injuries were reported.

Earlier in July, the consequences were much worse.

Police responded to the 2900 block of Penn Street shortly before 1 a.m. on July 2 following a report of a shooting. A man was killed in that incident.

The problem isn't limited to the past few weeks.

In March, gunfire in the 3000 block of St. Joseph Avenue injured two people, including a child. Police said the juvenile suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while an adult man was critically injured and taken to Mosaic Life Care.

Taken individually, each case has its own circumstances and investigation. Taken together, however, the frequency with which residents are hearing about shots fired, homes being struck and people being wounded is difficult to ignore.

When "no injuries" still isn't good news

It is easy to look at an incident like Tuesday's and breathe a sigh of relief because nobody appears to have been hit.

And we should be thankful for that.

But numerous shell casings in a public roadway aren't harmless simply because the bullets happened to miss this time.

Every round fired in a neighborhood has to go somewhere.

It can enter a house. It can strike a passing vehicle. It can hit someone sleeping in a bedroom or a family that has absolutely nothing to do with whatever dispute led someone to pull a trigger.

That's what makes repeated reports of gunfire concerning even when they don't result in an injury.

For the people living nearby, this isn't just another police call on a news feed. It's happening outside their homes.

St. Joseph has a violence problem worth confronting

It would be irresponsible to claim from a handful of recent cases alone that violent crime across St. Joseph is definitively increasing. That requires comprehensive crime statistics covering a much longer period.

But it would be equally irresponsible to pretend repeated gunfire in residential neighborhoods isn't a serious community problem.

In a matter of weeks, St. Joseph has seen a fatal shooting on Penn Street, a person wounded on Messanie Street, a home struck by gunfire on Mason Avenue and now numerous shell casings recovered from South 33rd Street.

Those incidents follow other shootings earlier this year, including the March shooting on St. Joseph Avenue that wounded a child and critically injured a man.

Law enforcement has also been targeting people believed to be involved in serious crime. A multi-agency operation in Buchanan County on July 24 resulted in 21 felony warrants being cleared.

Authorities also reported seizing eight firearms and body armor during the operation.

Police can investigate shootings, make arrests and remove illegal weapons from the streets. But police generally arrive after someone has already decided to fire a gun.

Reducing violence requires more than responding to the next call.

It requires cooperation from witnesses, accountability for repeat violent offenders, intervention before disputes escalate into shootings and a community willing to acknowledge the problem rather than becoming accustomed to it.

St. Joseph shouldn't reach a point where waking up to another report of shots fired feels normal.

Fortunately, Tuesday morning appears to have ended with shell casings rather than another person being rushed to the hospital.

Next time, the city may not be so lucky.

The South 33rd Street incident remains under investigation. Additional information will be reported as it becomes available.