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A 16-year-old Missouri high school hockey player died Wednesday days after a stray bullet struck him on a busy highway while he was driving 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 around 10:30 p.m. on Interstate 55 in South St. Louis Saturday night, according to First Alert 4.
Brown was rushed to the hospital in critical condition before he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday afternoon.
“Colin — a beloved and talented hockey player — passed away but not before giving the ultimate gift of life,” St. Louis Metro Police Department Director of Public Affairs Mitch McCoy said. “Colin’s organs were donated to other patients who were in desperate need. This donation is an example of the type of young man Colin was and the kind 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 with his new school.
“He was a talented and dedicated student who was enrolled in Honors courses, and he was a valuable member of our CBC Varsity Hockey team,” CBCHS said in a statement.
McCoy said police received numerous reports from motorists and nearby residents over the gunfire.
Police believe there was a rolling gunfight as the Browns traveled in the opposite direction, according to Fox 2.
Detectives are reviewing newly acquired footage from the area as they hunt for the suspected shooter.
“This type of violence is not going to be tolerated by us,” McCoy said. “We want people to feel safe driving on the interstate and the city of St. Louis.
“To have a 16-year-old boy who just left a hockey game get shot is incredibly rare. You don’t hear about cases of innocent bystanders being hit by stray bullets here. When those acts of violence occur, we will put the entire weight of this police department into finding who did it to make sure they are held accountable.”
The NHL’s St. Louis Blues coaching staff wore “72 Strong” pins honoring Brown’s uniform number and left a hockey stick outside their locker room before their game Wednesday night.
Calvin Brown expressed his gratitude to the St. Louis Police and Illinois State Police for “their continued efforts in apprehending the perpetrator(s) of this senseless crime against our beloved son, Colin” but said that St. Louis officials should make “greater efforts” to support police.
“As a family and as a former law enforcement official with over 28 years of experience, we believe that greater efforts are needed in the City of St. Louis and the surrounding region to support the police and equip them with the necessary tools to combat such senseless, violent gun crimes,” Brown said on 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 the nearly 40 percent decrease in homicides since St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones took office in April 2021.
“The death of Colin Brown is devastating news for our whole community,” Jones said. “We were all praying for a miracle and are now overwhelmed with grief, sadness, and anger that this innocent teenager’s life has been taken. As the mother of a teenage son, I grieve with all who knew and loved this man.”
