WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — A police officer who was shot multiple by a man he stopped to help has been released from the hospital, police said.
At least one of the rounds struck the officer's bullet-resistant vest, police said. The other rounds struck him in the arm, leg, and buttocks, according to sources familiar with the officer's injuries but not authorized to speak to the media.
Though it is difficult to determine how many times a person is shot, the sources said the officer was struck by gunfire at least 10 times.
The officer, a 37-year-old married man, has been on the force for 7 1/2 years. At about 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, he responded to call for a stalled motorist along westbound Interstate 44 between Shrewsbury and Elm in St. Louis County.
As soon as the officer got out of his car, the suspect opened fire. The officer returned fire, striking him multiple times and killing him, according to St. Louis County Sgt. Benjamin Granda.
Another one officer parked his cruiser farther away to help direct traffic and rushed the injured officer to the hospital.
The injured officer applied a tourniquet to himself, Granda said to reporters at the scene Tuesday.
"Sounds like he's the real deal," Granda said. "I don't know if I'd have everything firing on all cylinders in such a life or death moment. Thankfully, he was aware of that. Thankfully, he had a second officer there that expedited his arrival to the hospital. And we had all those things going right at the same time. So, we're very fortunate for that."
Wednesday afternoon, St. Louis County police identified the victim as Qavon Webb, a 23-year-old man from St. Louis.
"When the suspect has been positively identified and his next of kin notified, his identity will be disseminated," Granda wrote.
Webster Groves Mayor Gerry Welch said the department recently used Prop P funds to buy some updated bullet-resistant vests, body cameras, guns, and other technology that played a role in saving the officer's life and helping police with the investigation.
Welch said the pandemic is preventing officers and the community from showing their support for the officer as they normally would, by gathering together, but there is a lot of love for him on social media.
She said the mundane nature of the call illustrated how something that seems so routine and harmless can turn on an officer in an instant.
"You never know what's on the other side," she said.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell also responded to the scene. He commended all of the police departments that were on scene investigating and called it a blessing that the officer survived.
St. Louis County police asked anyone who was driving in the area at the time, either in the westbound lanes or eastbound lanes, to contact investigators with any details they might have noticed.
"No matter how big or small, it's very important that they contact us or CrimeStoppers as soon as possible so we can understand their perspective," Sgt. Granda said.
You can call the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
The St. Louis County Police Department is handling the investigation.
