ST. LOUIS — Thursday night a man is fighting for his life in the hospital after being shot inside a Soulard bar earlier that morning.
Henry’s Bar did not open its doors to customers following the incident and did not post anything on their door Thursday evening.
St. Louis police said a man in his 20’s was shot in the head and stomach just before 1 a.m. inside Henry’s Bar Thursday.
St. Louis Alderman Jack Coatar said this is an isolated incident that rarely happens in Soulard.
“It's a tragic situation all around, and I feel for the employees and the owners of that establishment in particular and I hope they're getting whatever help they need,” Coatar said.
The numbers are there to prove it.
Police said there’s only been one homicide in the neighborhood this year and they did see any last year but other crimes have been a problem.
“We've certainly seen an uptick in car thefts and car jackings, in particular, in Soulard. This was not related as from everything I've heard, this is not at all related to those crimes,” Coatar said.
The owner of another bar, the Great Grizzly Bear said he’s surprised to hear this happened just a block over.
"Usually it's just a couple of people that get into a minor argument but even that it doesn't really happen too often. It's generally a very happy and festive atmosphere. While it happens, we have security,” Great Grizzly Bear Owner, Joe Shultz, said.
Alderman Coatar said this incident, while isolated, is part of a bigger problem the city as a whole is dealing with.
“Gun violence in St. Louis is at an epidemic level. I mean people are, unfortunately, using guns to solve what should be disputes that, in years past didn't get solved with guns and that's a cultural issue. It's something that's got to change,” Coatar said.
Alderman Coatar said he wants to reassure people the area is safe and asks people to leave their guns at home.
No word of any charges or suspects in custody and at last check, the man was still in critical condition at the hospital.