ST. LOUIS— Police say the end of the school year has brought with it an increase in the number of cases involving juveniles using pellet guns to shoot indiscriminately at random victims. While the weapons may not qualify as firearms, the penalties and consequences can be serious for victims, suspects, and their parents.

The latest incident occurred overnight Tuesday morning in the Soulard area, where a victim escaped serious injury after being struck by a projectile from a type of airsoft gun, which fires plastic or metal pellets. 

Police say they’ve received reports of at least five cases this month, primarily in the downtown area. Several members of the news media have also been struck in recent months, although police say there’s no reason to think any specific victims have been targeted.

While the suspects in the cases could be adults, police say they appear to be juveniles, with the cases this month involving people driving in cars.

Authorities are looking at surveillance images and license plate readers to see if they can track down suspects or see if any of the cases are related.

Airsoft guns are not firearms, so they don’t fall under the 2023 law passed by the Board of Aldermen which requires owners to have permits on their person while they’re openly carrying. But because the guns look so much like the real thing, police say they would have reasonable cause to stop someone and make sure.

There is also a concern that someone with an airsoft gun might come into contact with someone who is carrying an actual firearm and return fire.

“An individual may or may not immediately recognize essentially a toy or non-lethal instrument that is made to replicate a firearm, they may not see it as that, they may see it as a firearm and they may believe in the heat of a moment that they are facing deadly force and they’re lawfully allowed to defend themselves with deadly force so it can create a very deadly situation,” said Sgt. Charles Wall.

Wall added that authorities could also seek to hold parents responsible if necessary.

“At 4 o’clock in the morning, why are your kids out driving around in a car indiscriminately shooting at people with an airsoft gun? Those are the things we’re looking at and ultimately we’ll try to use whatever resources we have available to us to hold individuals accountable,” he said.