OfficerBlueBellefontaine Neighbors, MO – A man shot two police officers in their chests, and then he barricaded himself inside a home on Thursday morning, police said.
The standoff is still underway, and the man may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, KTVI report ed.
Emergency crews, fire trucks, and law enforcement were seen in the 10100 block of Bellefontaine Road just after 7:30 a.m., KMOV reported.
A witness, Steve Jones, said he saw the shooting unfold and called 911, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Jones said the officers were “trying to reason with this guy in the front yard, and all of the sudden it was a tackle to the ground.”
“Next thing I know … this guy starts to stand up, there’s pepper spray deployed from the officers, and then this guy gets up about 15 feet from the officers and starts shooting,” he said.
“And then when he’s done shooting,” Jones continued. “He runs a little bit and then walks to a house and goes in a house right down the street.”
Jones said the officers clearly needed help.
“It looked like all three officers were down, so I didn’t know if they were able to call or not,” he said.
Police are on scene and appeared to be in communication with the gunman, KTVI reported.
Bellefontaine Neighbor Mayor Bob Doerr identified the injured officers as a male sergeant with 15 years of law enforcement experience, and a female officer who was hired by the city in 2014, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The unnamed officers have been taken to the hospital for assessment of their injuries, but both are expected to survive.
“They were wearing their bulletproof vests, so thank God,” Doerr said. “They’re going to be okay.”
Doerr said that both officers were conscious and able to speak. Both were struck by at least one round, he said.
UPDATE: The suspect is in custody and was transported to the hospital. The officers were not seriously injured.
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