ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Early Tuesday, Sam Starns expressed confidence that police were close to making arrests in the shooting death of his son, Colin Courtwright.
That afternoon, the St. Louis County Police Department announced the arrest of two people in connection with Monday’s triple shooting in Oakville. A third suspect remains hospitalized and is expected to be arrested once they’re discharged.
The shooting happened around 1:50 p.m. at an apartment complex parking lot near the intersection of Telegraph and Baumgartner roads. Officers arrived to find three males suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the victims, Colin Courtwright, was pronounced dead at the scene. Courtwright was 15. The other victims were taken to a local hospital, where one of them later died. Investigators have not yet identified those victims.
Starns showed a recent picture of him and his son—a good memory that he plans to hold onto.
“We were a bond and, you know, I told him, I said, ‘Son, I’m going to be there for you no matter what happens. I’m always going to be there for you,’” Starns said.
Starns said he does not know why his son, who attended high school in St. Charles, was at the location, but he believes all of those involved are teens.
“They’re all high school kids,” he said. “I just want people to remember my son, you know, as a good person, because my son would never hurt anyone. Because, yeah, my son may have been a follower and not a leader where he should’ve been.”
Starns said he’d just left a therapy session with his son a few hours prior. He then received a call to turn on the news. He saw there was a shooting in Oakville. He said his son’s phone was pinging in this area.
Police said the incident did not appear to be random.
“This was probably over $20—maybe, you know—if they were buying or whatever was going on. Now you’re going to spend the rest of your life in jail over nothing,” Starns said.
The shooting investigation delayed Monday dismissal at Oakville High School. The school was under heightened security protocol until the situation in the neighborhood was over. This was also the case at Oakville Middle School, Oakville Elementary, and Wohlwend Elementary.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will have more information as it becomes available.
