St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts is calling on the city to take action over a small park across from City Hall. A man was shot and killed there Thursday night, and Betts said the park isn't a homeless encampment.
"This is a haven for drug dealers, right in front of City Hall,” Betts said. “They hang out here and they get into it with each other and that’s when we get the killing.”
Earlier in the week, a woman was shot in the foot at the park, and Betts said a man was found dead of a possible drug overdose in the metal Serra sculpture on the east side of the Civil Courts building.
“Enough is enough,” said Betts. “We’ve got bullet holes in the City Court building – three. Just this past weekend, we got another bullet hole in the Carnahan Courthouse.
“We should run these guys out of this park and if we can find illegal drugs, arrest them," he said.