High School hockey player falls victim to gun violence in St. Louis: Report

A St. Louis high school hockey player has been left fighting for his life after getting hit by a bullet on Saturday, according to reports. The CBC High School junior hockey star, Colin Brown, was hit while heading home from a game with his dad.

Brown was in a car with his dad, Calvin Brown, who is a retired police officer with the Illinois State Police Department. The duo had been at a matchup with Marquette and were heading north on Interstate 55.

Their car was struck by a stray bullet close to Loughborough Avenue and Bates Street. The bullet hit the younger Brown.

Brown's dad sought help, driving through downtown St. Louis to reach police and paramedics, per KSDK-TV. The 16-year-old remained in a critical, but stable condition on Monday afternoon. His school put out a statement following the incident. It reads:

“We were saddened to learn of the senseless violence committed against our CBC brother, Colin Brown ‘26. We ask for prayers for Colin, his family, and for the medical team overseeing his care and recovery. When faced with challenges, we, as a Lasallian community, derive our strength from each other. We will rally around and support Colin and his family in this difficult time. Men for Tomorrow. Brothers for Life.”

Further reports from St. Louis indicated that a game between Seckman and CBC scheduled for Sunday night was canceled. Meanwhile, a nonprofit DAWG Nation Hockey Foundation and the O’Fallon Hockey Club have started efforts to raise funds to help the Browns.

What has St. Louis Police done?

The local police have called for anyone with useful information to come forward and contact CrimeStoppers on 866-371-TIPS. Spokesman of the St. Louis Metro Police Department spoke to KTVI-TV on the incident. He said:

“We do know there are witnesses to what happened, and we need their eyewitnesses accounts to help us piece together what happened.”

He added that Brown was just unfortunate to be hit in gunfire believed by the police to have happened in the southbound lane. Posting on behalf of his family, Calvin Brown put a message on his Facebook page addressing the incident. He wrote:

“As a family and as a former law enforcement official with over 28 years of experience, we believe that greater efforts are needed in the City of St. Louis and the surrounding region to support the police and equip them with the necessary tools to combat such senseless, violent gun crimes.

"Additionally, we want to thank the St. Louis and Chicago hockey communities for their overwhelming support during this difficult time. In particular, we appreciate the hockey communities of Affton, Affton Central States, CBC, O'Fallon Ice Hockey Club, the Southern Illinois Ice Hawks, the Central State Developmental Hockey League, Mid States Hockey and MVCHA.”

The hunt for the person who fired the shot continues. While police seek information to find out more about what happened, the family of the victim would hope for a full recovery of their ward.