JENNINGS, Mo. — An officer with the Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department shot at a man who pointed a gun at him Wednesday night, a St. Louis County police spokesman said.
Sergeant Benjamin Granda with the St. Louis County Police Department said the man was a suspect in a deadly shooting earlier in the evening. Granda said the officer tried to make a traffic stop, but the suspect fled and crashed near the intersection of Chambers Road and Grosvenor Drive. The man was not struck by the gunfire and was taken into custody a short time later. The officer was not injured in the incident.
The incident was related to a shooting that happened at around 5:20 Wednesday evening on the 2400 block of Akins Drive. Granda said St. Louis County police were called to the area for a report of an assault and Shotspotter activation. When they arrived, they found two women with gunshot wounds.
One of the women — who was in her late teens or early 20s — was pronounced dead and the other was taken to the hospital. The second woman's injuries were not life-threatening.
Witnesses reported seeing a black Dodge Ram pickup truck leaving the scene and provided police with a partial license plate number. When an officer with the Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department spotted the truck hours later, he attempted to pull the driver over. The driver fled from the officer, who chased him until the man lost control of the truck and crashing into a tree near the intersection of Chambers Road and Grosvenor Drive.
Granda said the man behind the wheel of the truck got out and pulled out a gun. Granda said the officer, who was sitting behind the wheel of his patrol vehicle, then pulled out his gun and fired at the man. The officer got out his car and continued to fire at the man, but did not hit him with any of the shots.
The man taken into custody is 20 years old.
Police said they are not looking for any other suspects in the deadly shooting in Jennings. Investigators are now looking into the possible relationship between the man taken into custody and the shooting victims.
The officer who fired the shots is a 33-year-old man with two-and-a-half years of law enforcement experience, Granda said. He was not hurt in the incident.
The St. Louis County Police Department is handling investigations into the deadly shooting in Jennings and the shots fired incident involving the officer.
Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
- Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to “stabilize inner-city neighborhoods.” One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program. To learn more, call 314-381-8200 or visit https://www.betterfamilylife.org/
- Life Outside of Violence “helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence.” To learn more, call 314-327-6697 or email: ProjectLOV@WUSTL.edu
- The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership between and Saint Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth. To learn more, visit https://www.ulstl.com/anti-crime-initiative.html
- Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities. To learn more, visit https://cvg.org/