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ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - Police say that three men are dead after a shooting in west St. Louis at around 11:15 a.m. The shooting happened at a Laclede Gas work site in the 5900 block of Minerva in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood. Investigators are calling the random shooting a murder suicide.

Police say the suspect walked up to one of the workers at a job site and shot and killed him. The other worker came out of the backhoe to see what was happening. The suspect then shot and killed that worker. He then turned the gun on himself. There are no signs of a struggle. A witness says the shooter kept firing at the victims after they were down on the ground.

One of the workers was in his 20s and the other was in his 50s. Police say the suspect was a man in his 30s or 40s.

Police say witnesses called police about the shooting. People in the neighborhood recognized the suspect, but did not know him. The shooter has not yet been identified.

FOX 2 asked St. Louis police if this was a hate crime. Police say the only racial aspect to the shooting is that the suspect was black and the two Laclede Gas workers were white.

One of the shooting victims was initially taken to the hospital in critical condition. The man died as a result of his injuries.

A woman who lives on the block says the workers were digging to connect a meter to a nearby home. She is very pregnant and was joking with them before the shooting. She tells FOX 2 that the workers offered to take her to the hospital if she went into labor.

Viewers tell FOX 2 that Laclede Gas has pulled several crews from other area job sites. Laclede Gas has issued this statement about the shooting:

"We are shocked and grieving today after two of our Laclede Gas employees were shot and killed this morning at one of our job sites. We are connecting with their loved ones now. And, we are working with police to understand more about this crisis. We are heartbroken, as you can imagine, and ask that you hold these employees, their families, their friends, Laclede Gas workers and our communities in your thoughts and prayers."

The motive behind the shooting is not known at this time. Police will be providing an update soon. A FOX 2 crew is headed to the scene. More details will be posted as this story develops. Refresh this page for the latest update.

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