ST. LOUIS (AP) – An off-duty police officer fatally shot a man who opened fire during a chase in south St. Louis, city police said.
St. Louis Police Lt. Col. Alfred Adkins said the 32-year-old officer was working a secondary security job late Wednesday when the shooting happened. Adkins said the officer, a six-year-veteran of the St. Louis Police Department, approached four men on the street.
“As he exited the car, the gentlemen took off running. He was able to follow one of them before he lost him and then found him again as the guy jumped out of some bushes across the street,” Adkins said. “The officer approached, they got into a struggle, they ended up into a gangway, at which time the young man pulled a weapon and shots were fired. The officer returned fire and unfortunately the young man was killed.”
He did not name the officer or the man killed.
Adkins said the officer wasn’t hurt. Police said a gun was retrieved from the scene, near Missouri Botanical Gardens.