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St. Louis police chief renewed his call for tougher gun crime penalties

Elvert Barnes
/
Flickr

The St. Louis police chief has promised a vigorous investigation after six apparently unrelated homicides in an 18-hour period and renewed his call for tougher gun crime penalties.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Police Chief Sam Dotson says police have found very little evidence into the killings, which began Thursday afternoon. The deaths pushed the city's homicide total to 95 for the year, compared to 75 at this time last year.

Dotson says that the fact the killings aren't connected reinforced his belief that "high-powered rifles in a state with liberal gun laws puts the community at risk." Officers found shell casings from high-powered rifles on at least two of the scenes.

Dotson has authorized homicide commanders to draw from specialized units.

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