Early morning gunfire in St. Louis ended in a grim discovery—three individuals dead and a homicide suspect killed in a shootout involving law enforcement. The deadly sequence unfolded starting at around 4:00 a.m. when the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers, prompted by a ShotSpotter activation, arrived at a scene in the 5100 block of Wells to find a man shot dead on a front porch.
As the investigation commenced, homicide detectives called in the ATF to assist with ballistic evidence. A secured perimeter was established by officers and detectives, as they awaited the rights to search the residence. The tension escalated, when at about 7:00 a.m., a man emerged from the home, conversed with officers, then returned inside only to come out again armed with a rifle, leading to an exchange of gunfire with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer and an ATF agent.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department subsequently deployed its SWAT team. Upon entry into the residence, team members discovered the suspect deceased near the front doorway. The man, tentatively identified as a 61-year-old convicted felon, seemingly succumbed to injuries from the earlier shootout. The SWAT's search also revealed the bodies of an adult woman in the living room and an adult man in the basement.
No law enforcement personnel sustained injuries during the incident, the involved St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer is reported as having 3 years of service, police said. Investigators recovered a total of five firearms from the premises, with three found near the suspect. The circumstances around the triple homicide, and subsequent fatality of the suspect, remain under intense scrutiny as the investigation presses on.
