St. Louis High School hockey player Colin Brown, 16, died days after being struck by a stray bullet while driving home with his father from a game

A 16-year-old high school hockey player from Missouri died Wednesday days after a stray bullet struck him on a busy highway while he was on his way home from his game with his father.

Colin Brown, a sophomore at Christian Brothers College High School (CBCHS), was sitting in the passenger seat of his father Calvin’s car when he was shot on Interstate 55 in South St. Louis on Saturday evening around 10:30 p.m. according to First Alarm 4.

Brown was rushed to hospital in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries on Wednesday afternoon.

“Colin – a beloved and talented hockey player – passed away, but not before giving the ultimate gift of life,” said Mitch McCoy, Director of Public Affairs for the St. Louis Metro Police Department. “Colin’s organs were donated to other patients in desperate need. This donation is an example of the type of young man Colin was and the type of family he grew up in.”

Brown joined CBCHS, one of Missouri’s most elite hockey high school programs, after transferring from Illinois in the fall. He was seven games into the season at his new school.

“He was a talented and dedicated student who participated in honors courses, and he was a valuable member of our CBC Varsity Hockey team,” CBCHS said in a statement.

McCoy said police have received numerous reports from motorists and residents about the gunfire.

Police believe a shootout occurred as the Browns traveled in the opposite direction. according to Fox2.

Detectives are reviewing newly acquired footage from the area as they hunt for the suspected shooter.

“We will not tolerate this type of violence,” McCoy said. “We want people to feel safe on the highway and in the city of St. Louis.

“It is incredibly rare for a 16-year-old boy who has just left a hockey game to be shot. You don’t hear about cases here where innocent bystanders are hit by stray bullets. When these acts of violence occur, we will use the full weight of this police department to find who did this, to ensure they are held accountable.”

The coaching staff of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues wore “72 Strong” pins in honor of Brown’s uniform number and showed a hockey stick outside their locker room before their game Wednesday night.

Calvin Brown expressed gratitude to the St. Louis Police Department and the Illinois State Police for “their continued efforts to apprehend the perpetrator(s) of this senseless crime against our beloved son, Colin,” but said St. Louis officials Louis “had to make greater efforts”. ‘in support of the police.

“As a family and as a former law enforcement officer with more than 28 years of experience, we believe that greater efforts are needed in the city of St. Louis and the surrounding region to support law enforcement and equip them with the necessary tools to handle such cases to combat. senseless, violent gun crimes,” Brown said Sunday.

The city of St. Louis saw 106 homicides through August 2024, a slight decrease from the previous year (109). according to officials.

Officials boasted about a nearly 40 percent drop in homicides since St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones took office in April 2021.

“The death of Colin Brown is devastating news for our entire community,” Jones said. “We all prayed for a miracle and are now overwhelmed with sadness, grief and anger that this innocent teenager’s life was taken. As the mother of a teenage son, I grieve along with everyone who knew and loved this man.”