Eighteen people have been shot in four days in St. Louis and Police Chief John Hayden says seven of the shooting victims were killed.
St. Louis has had 89 murders so far this year, compared to 83 during the same period last year.
Police Chief John Hayden says at least 50-percent of St. Louis shootings are drug-related. By the end of April, St. Louis also had 103 confirmed drug overdose deaths.
Hayden says the department’s summer plans include boosting foot patrols and visibility in the most violent areas of the city.
