Officers from District 2 faced a perilous confrontation early Monday morning when responding to a shots fired call in the 1600 block of Hampton. According to a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department report, initial findings indicated ballistic damage to an apartment unit after officers arrived just after 5:30 a.m.
As they continued to secure the scene, the officers came across an individual, identified as a 31-year-old man, brandishing a firearm. This suspect reportedly took a shot, narrowly missing an officer. Despite repeated commands to disarm, the suspect attempted to escape, leading to an officer discharging their weapon in his vicinity. The pursuit that followed ended without further shots fired, as the suspect eventually surrendered to custody.
The Police Department's preliminary investigation intimated that the ordeal began with the suspect entering a neighbor’s apartment and discharging several rounds inside the vacant unit. Before confronting law enforcement, the gunman also shot at the door of another apartment in the building. Throughout the incident, the suspect himself was unharmed.
While backup was en route two additional officers sustained injuries in a separate, yet related accident. The officers, while climbing a fence to get to the scene, they incurred injuries. The department's Force Investigations Unit has taken charge of the incident to unravel the sequence of events and assess the use of force applied during the apprehension of the suspect.
No further information has been released regarding the suspect's motives or the current status of the injured officers
