‘I want justice served;’ Relatives heard that the mother was involved in the death of the 3-year-old child | Headline News St. Louis

NAM ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – The family of a 3-year-old boy is searching for answers after his death in south St. Louis on Friday.

Around 2:20 p.m., police said they received a call about a child being hit by a car in the 2600 Rutger neighborhood. Firefighters and paramedics found the toddler, later identified by relatives as Emmanuel Ware, held by his mother, not conscious or breathing and with bruises all over his body.

He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. No one in the family has heard from Ware’s mother, Shanice Moore, since Friday. Ware’s relatives say they don’t believe it was a hit and run, as Moore said.

Ms. Wanda Lee said: “Emmanuel is a child who loves life, is cheerful and always happy.

Lee said her grandson just turned three in September.

“I got a phone call from Shanice saying the baby was hit by a bullet,” Lee said. “A human should never be treated like that. There’s no reason, and all I want is justice, that’s all I want. I want justice served. It’s not meant to be. what it means, it’s senseless.”

Lee and other family members told News 4 they believe Moore had something to do with Ware’s death.

“I just wanted my sister to tell us the truth. I felt like I would never know the truth,” said Ware’s aunt, Lawanda Moore. “Tell the investigators what happened, what you saw, what’s going on. She kept her family in the dark. We didn’t know what was going on. My sister was paint a perfect picture.”

Police said homicide and child abuse detectives were investigating. News 4 has reached out to Shanice Moore for comment and has not received a response. News 4 has also reached out to police to see if any arrests have been made, but has yet to receive a response.