The unidentified juvenile victim who was shot and murdered on Saturday in an attempted robbery in St. Charles was a sophomore at Liberty High School in O’Fallon, Missouri, where she played soccer.
According to the police, 15-year-old Lydia Elking, who was from Lake Saint Louis, was gunned down and died in a residential neighborhood on Saturday night along Oak Avenue and Perry Street, which is located just east of Lindenwood University’s campus.
Lydia and a boy who was 17 years old at the time drove to the location in order to talk to the locals. When the police arrived, they were told that two youths had approached the vehicle, announced that they were going to commit a robbery, and taken out a gun, which they then fired into the vehicle, hitting Lydia. Later, she passed away at the hospital.
Elking and the 17-year-old boy were taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder in juvenile court. The police have not disclosed any specifics regarding the reason why Elking and the 17-year-old kid were meeting up with the two youngsters.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of a member of our Liberty High School family,” the Wentzville School District wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts are with her loved ones during this time.”
Heidi Kleekamp, the girl’s varsity soccer coach at Liberty High since the program began in 2013, said Lydia played both varsity and junior varsity as a freshman and had made varsity this year as a sophomore.
“I was just starting to get to know her,” she said. “She is the sweetest kid ever. She is a super hard worker, I think people definitely described her as having a bubbly personality, very outgoing, had a smile that lit up the room.”
“This one is going to hit the Liberty community hard because of how awesome of a person she is.”
A commemorative balloon release was scheduled for Tuesday evening at Liberty High.