ST. LOUIS — A shootout in the middle of a busy street in the Baden neighborhood of St. Louis on Thursday came on the heels of a deadly shooting there hours earlier. That shooting left a 34-year-old man dead and a 6-year-old boy critically injured.

It all happened around the Convenience Express gas station on North Broadway. Police said on Wednesday, around 11 p.m., two gunmen walked into the business and opened fire, shooting the two unidentified victims. The police are still searching for the suspects.

The 34-year-old victim later died. As of Thursday night, the 6-year-old boy is listed in critical but stable condition. The man’s mother, who we are not identifying until police release his name, said she is still trying to process what happened.

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“I lost my son,” she told FOX 2. “He’s an excellent father. I hate that my grandkids have to go without him.”

SLMPD records show police have been called to the gas station 59 times over the past year. Thursday afternoon, hours after the deadly shooting, a rolling gun battle broke out in front of the business, halting traffic and forcing people in the area to take cover. The police said there were no reported injuries from that incident.

Locals tell FOX 2 that the gas station is a problem spot. But they also said they understand it’s not the business’s fault. The 34-year-old victim’s grieving mother said she agrees.

“It isn’t the gas station’s fault. It’s the people who had the guns on the other end’s fault,” she said.

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Clinton Bishop Jr. and Antonio Weathersby work across the street from the gas station at CDE Health Care Services. Bishop said he sees a lot of activity at the business.

“I’m not going to lie to you; I don’t go over there. I wouldn’t even go over there,” he said.

The two men were at work when the shots rang out during the rolling gun battle on North Broadway on Thursday.

“We were in the office, working as usual, and next thing you know, we hear nothing but bullets,” Bishop said.

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Weathersby said he was driving in the same direction as the gun battle when shots rang out.

“You couldn’t even tell what direction they were coming from because there were multiple people firing,” Weathersby said.

The pair wishes the young people behind many of these shootings would put down the guns and find a career. Bishop said CDE Health Care Services is hiring.

“We could change your life,” Bishop said. “You give us six months, and we could change your whole life. If you want that, we’re right here.”

Anyone with information about the suspects in this case is asked to call the police right away.

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