An off-duty police officer working security at The Wheelhouse bar in downtown St. Louis fatally shot a man early today, amidst a fracas outside the popular nightlife spot, KSDK reports. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) said they received a call about an officer needing assistance at the establishment situated at 1000 Spruce St., a stone's throw from Busch Stadium, around 2:50 a.m.
Preliminary investigations by the SLMPD indicate that numerous officers from different jurisdictions were attempting to defuse a large fight involving 20 to 50 people when a 25-year-old man brandished a firearm, during the clash a security guard tried to intervene with pepper spray, however, this measure did not deescalate the situation, leading to the deadly shooting. "The man refused to drop his weapon when asked, and in response, the officer shot the man in the chest," according to FOX 2 Now's coverage of the incident.
The individual struck by the officer's bullet was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The officer involved in the shooting was reported to be a 40-year-old man with around 18 years of experience on the force and did not sustain injuries during the incident. Additionally, a 26-year-old man reported to have been grazed by a bullet in the melee later sought treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Force Investigative Unit, which examines all instances of deadly force applied by law enforcement within the city, is currently leading the investigation into the shooting; as the complexities of such scenes unfold, the narratives around who did what, when, and why can often start to fray and overlap, and assurances for thoroughness and fairness in these proceedings are demanded by communities weary of stories with similar beginnings but vastly divergent ends. In correspondence, the SLMPD remarked, "The Force Investigative Unit is responsible for investigating all uses of deadly force used by any law enforcement officer within the City of St. Louis," a statement echoed by First Alert 4.
