5-year-old child killed after tree falls on house
By Rheanna Wachter & Kalie Strain
Click here for updates on this story
JENNINGS, Missouri (KMOV) — A 5-year-old child was killed in Jennings when a tree fell on the house he was in Saturday.
St. Louis County Police responded at 3:55 p.m. to the 5200 block of Hamilton Ave. and talked to a woman who said her son was inside the house where the tree had fallen. Police confirm that the tree fell onto the rear portion of the house where the child’s bedroom was located, and he was unconscious and trapped beneath the tree. Police said that it took first responders several attempts to get free him.
The family told News 4 the boy’s name is Robert Lawrence III, but they called him RJ.
Fire and EMS responded and were able to locate Lawrence and transported him to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was later pronounced dead.
Lawrence was one of two fatal victims from Saturday’s storms. In St. Louis City, a woman was killed by a tree that fell a car she was sitting in near The Grove just before 5:30 p.m.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family after the loss of RJ and help his mother, LaWanda Thomas, and her 3-year-old child find emergency shelter.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
