A 16-year-old boy in St. Louis was shot and critically injured while trying to purchase a firearm early Wednesday morning, a report said.

The teen sneaked out of his home before the attempted gun-buy at about 1:20 a.m. on Tennessee Place in the city’s Carondelet neighborhood, police told the St. Louis-Dispatch.

Police believe the boy was shot by the person he intended to buy the gun from.

At least 55 children have been shot in the St. Louis region this year, with most of the violence occurring within city limits, the report said.

Of the dozens of children shot, 16 of them have died.