Police said one 13-year-old boy was killed and a 15-year-old was seriously wounded outside a school event that drew 20 teams.
FERGUSON, Mo. — A 13-year-old boy was charged Wednesday after police said gunfire erupted just after a track meet ended at STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley, killing 13-year-old LaJuan Swopes and seriously injuring a 15-year-old.
The shooting turned a large school event into a homicide case within hours. Ferguson police said the gunfire broke out as people were leaving the Rod Staggs Freshman-Sophomore Track and Field Invitational, which the Ferguson-Florissant School District said included 20 schools. By the next day, the accused 13-year-old had been placed in St. Louis County Family Court on murder, assault and weapon charges, while investigators continued working to determine what led to the shooting.
The meet began at 4 p.m. Tuesday and ended with families, students and staff moving through the parking lot near Brotherton Avenue. Police said the shooting happened shortly after 7 p.m. outside the school, in the parking lot of the STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley. Officers later took a 13-year-old suspect into custody about two blocks away, and police said a gun was recovered. Authorities have not released the boy’s name because he is a juvenile. Swopes, 13, died after being shot. A second victim, identified by local reporting as a 15-year-old boy, was hospitalized in serious condition. Patricia Washington of the Ferguson Police Department said after the arrest that there was no active threat to the community.
By Wednesday, the case had moved into juvenile court. Police said the 13-year-old suspect was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. Investigators have not publicly explained what argument or contact came just before the shooting, and police have said the motive remains under investigation. The Ferguson-Florissant School District said the violence happened as people were leaving the event and said none of the students involved attended schools in that district. That detail narrowed one major question for families in Ferguson but left others unresolved, including how the accused obtained the gun and whether there had been a dispute before the meet ended.
The case also rippled into another school community. The University City School District told parents in an email Wednesday that both victims attended Brittany Woods Middle School. That placed the tragedy beyond the grounds where the shooting happened and into the daily lives of classmates, teachers and families in another district. The event itself had drawn students from many schools, turning what was supposed to be a routine spring competition into a regional shock. Local advocates said the shooting also underscored how quickly conflicts among young teens can become deadly. Police have not said whether school security staff witnessed the confrontation or whether any video from the parking lot has been collected as evidence.
The legal process is expected to stay largely inside the juvenile system for now. Because the accused is 13, court records and hearings may remain more limited than in an adult criminal case. Still, the charges filed Wednesday made clear that prosecutors are treating the shooting as a major violent felony case. Investigators are expected to keep reviewing witness statements, physical evidence and the recovered firearm. Authorities have not announced a public court date or said whether additional petitions or motions could follow. They also have not released new information about the injured 15-year-old’s condition beyond saying he was in serious condition after the shooting.
Outside the legal case, the loss of Swopes drew grief from people who said they knew him well. Lisa LaGrone, a gun violence advocate with Safe Streets, Safe Neighborhoods, said the suspect and victims knew one another. “LaJuan was a pretty good kid,” LaGrone said, recalling a boy she said stayed busy and helped family members with work around the house and in the neighborhood. She said his death will hit hardest at home, where four siblings are now dealing with another violent loss after their father was killed in 2020. LaGrone also said she believed online conflict may have helped fuel tensions, though police have not confirmed any social media connection.
As of Thursday, one boy was dead, another remained hospitalized and the 13-year-old suspect was in custody in Family Court. The next major step is likely to come as investigators and court officials decide how the juvenile case will proceed in the days ahead.
Author note: Last updated April 2, 2026.