St. Louis Police Officer Fatally Shoots Suspect At Gas Station

ST. LOUIS, MO — A St. Louis police officer fatally shot a suspected car thief Wednesday at a gas station near the intersection of Goodfellow Boulevard and Lilian Avenue, officials said. Both the suspect and the officer were transported to a nearby hospital. The suspect later died.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that the shooting happened shortly before 1 p.m. Using license plate cameras, police had identified a vehicle that had been reported stolen two days prior and later found the vehicle at the gas station where the shooting occurred, he said.

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As an officer confronted the driver at a gas pump, the car accelerated backwards and the officer was trapped by the door of the car. Sometime between confronting the driver and the crash a few moments later, the officer fired an undetermined number of shots, striking the suspect at least once in the chest.

The officer was dragged several feet before the vehicle crashed on the other side of the gas station. It's not clear if the officer fired because he was being dragged or if the car accelerated inadvertently after the suspect was shot, Hayden said.

"Between the time that he confronts the suspect and the time that the crash occurs, the officer does discharge his weapon," Hayden said, adding that the 31-year-old officer sustained a significant head injury, but that it was not life-threatening.

Police say they do not know if the suspect was armed and didn't give a precise timeline for when shots were fired. Hayden promised to release video of the shooting "at some point."

"That's all going to be part of the investigation," Hayden said. "We aren't sure right now how exactly the whole thing transpired."

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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