St. Louis party turned mass shooting: Lighthearted to pure terror
ST. LOUIS – It’s barely summer break and a St. Louis family is planning a 17-year-old boy’s funeral after he was shot and killed at a party gone terribly wrong.
St. Louis police said 17-year-old Makao Moore died Sunday morning after gunfire erupted in an office building near 14th and Washington. Ten other people, ranging in age from 15 to 19, were shot or otherwise injured.
Darryl Moore, Makao’s father, said his son was the youngest of 15 siblings and cherished family.
“Outgoing, loving person. He loved his family, especially his sisters,” Darryl said.
Makao was a high school junior, and his dad described him as a jokester.
The teen’s cousin, Donesha Belton, said Makao loved computers and wanted to turn his passion into a moneymaker one day.
“He was definitely a gamer. That was his main goal, to build games and play games, and to get paid for it,” Belton said.
Darryl said he talked with his son about the party in advance.
“The day before he was telling me about a party, so I was like okay. It’s a kid party, because he doesn’t really hang with anyone older than him,” Darryl said.
Darryl said he knew his son had plans to attend the party, then go to his mother’s house after. Darryl said he didn’t realize how late it would go through.
Moore said he recalls watching a news conference with St. Louis city officials on TV and then it hit him.
“You see it on the news every day. You don’t think it’s going to happen to you.
It really touched me. I’ve never felt the pain like I feel today,” Darryl said. “It’s kids killings kids.”
Makao’s aunt, Shequina Savage, said enough is enough. It’s time for Missouri lawmakers and St. Louis city leaders to wake up.
“These people need to be held accountable, for real,” Savage said. “We need to change these gun laws, need to change these Airbnb’s–close them down [to kids renting them].”
Donna Rhone is the mother of a 17-year-old boy shot in the face. She dropped him off at the party beforehand.
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“I knew the children that were going to be there,” Rhone said. “The kids that were there were good kids, genuinely having fun, no drama, no negative energy in the room and immediately that’s when everything shifted.”
Rhone said a group of other kids showed up and that’s when things changed.
“It goes from being so lighthearted to pure terror,” Rhone said.
Rhone said while her son survived, dealing with the aftermath is a whole new battle.
“Now it’s a mental thing with the babies. Now we have to get them through mentally and emotionally,” Rhone said.
Police said Sunday the party was by invite only and they’re investigating how the teens gained access to the building.
Tenants told FOX 2 on Sunday that they’ve complained about security at the office building because the doors were continuously propped open.
Records reveal it was promoted as a short-term rental party, but the building is all office space.
Source: KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis
