A seventh St. Louis church, the Shrine of St. Joseph Catholic Church, was targeted early this morning in yet another case of arson that has devastated the city in an 11-day period.
Officials now believe that a string of arsons at six churches in St. Louis, Missouri, are connected. The churches, located in about a three-mile radius of each other, all “have a predominantly African-American following [and are] within predominantly African-American neighborhoods,” said Garon Mosby, a spokesman for the St. Louis Fire Department, to NBC News.
The arsons began on Oct. 8, starting with Bethel Non-Denominational Church. Fires at New Northside Baptist Church, St. Augustine Catholic Church, the New Testament Church of Christ, and the New Life Missionary Baptist Church followed. On Sunday, Oct. 18, the sixth fire occurred at Ebenezer Lutheran Church.
