St. Louis Police Officer Shot & Wounded in an Ambush Style Shooting as He Sat in His Car

DO POLICE LIVES MATTER?

A St. Louis police officer was shot ambush style as he sat in his car in the Central West End Tuesday morning, shortly before 5 AM on Maryland Avenue, between Kingshighway and N. Euclid. Thankfully, his bulletproof vest did its job as following the shooting the officer was was taken to Barnes Jewish Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Following the shooting, a car sped away with three men inside. The gunman was described as a black man between 18 and 22 years old, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8, thin build with a medium complexion. He wore a black bandanna when he started shooting but the bandanna fell off. The officer got a look at his face and said the gunman had some facial hair. The police are actively searching for four African-American males who fled the scene in a gray or silver Ford Taurus. One suspect may have been injured.

Ed ?@EdBigCon 23m

A St. Louis police officer was shot and wounded in an ambush while sitting in his own car working a second job in the Central West End early Tuesday, police said.

A bulletproof vest saved the officer’s life, and the search was under way for the shooters, said Police Chief Sam Dotson.

The officer’s injuries are not life-threatening, police said. The officer, a 39-year-old sergeant who has been with the department for 16 years, suffered injuries to his torso or side.

“They tried to assassinate a police officer,” said Police Chief Sam Dotson.

The wounded officer was in full uniform and was seated in his own personal vehicle working a secondary security job when he was shot. The officer said he saw two men walking in the area, but he did not speak to them or confront them, Dotson said.

UPDATE I: St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said, “They targeted, they ambushed, they tried to assassinate a police officer.”

The sergeant was in his full uniform and personal vehicle when he saw two individuals walking down the street. Chief Dotson said the sergeant did not bother the individuals but saw them walking in the area a short time later with a third person, he monitored them again and did not exit his vehicle.

Shortly after the individuals walked past a second time, the sergeant observed the suspect vehicle approach him with four people inside, including the three he saw walking in the area earlier. The suspect vehicle pulled directly in front of the sergeant’s vehicle and one of the passengers exited the front side, with a bandana over his face, and began firing shots at the sergeant, who was still inside his vehicle, Chief Dotson said.

After the suspect fired shots, the sergeant returned fire. The sergeant told authorities he believes one of the suspects may have been struck by his gunshots.

The suspect vehicle began leaving the scene and the suspect who fired the shots ran on foot. While in his vehicle, the sergeant followed the suspect that was running on foot but lost him after he entered a parking garage on York, Chief Dotson said.