On Friday morning, an armed suspect was shot and killed by an ATF special agent and a St. Louis cop.
When police first arrived on the site, they discovered one murder victim dead close to a house’s front porch. Additionally, the armed suspect and two other homicide victims were discovered dead in that house following the gunfight.
According to Tracy, the two cops that were shot at alongside the suspect were unharmed.
All of these incidents took place at a residence in the Academy/Sherman Park neighborhood of north St. Louis, located in the 5100 block of Wells Avenue.
During a Friday morning media availability and afternoon press conference, Chief Tracy and SLMPD Director of Public Affairs & Information Mitch McCoy presented a timeline of events.
A ShotSpotter alert outside the Wells Avenue residence prompted St. Louis police to react at approximately 4:20 a.m. One individual was found dead close to a front porch when police arrived on the scene.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was then asked by St. Louis police to assist with the investigation, specifically to acquire a search warrant in order to gather evidence.
During the course of the investigation, a guy exited the residence in question at around seven in the morning and spoke briefly with an ATF special agent and a St. Louis police officer. After then, the person returned inside the house and left with a gun. According to the police, the man then started shooting at the ATF agent and an SLMPD officer.
The armed suspect eventually returned to the house. As authorities attempted to secure the area, SWAT troops also arrived on the site and entered the house.
The person thought to have been engaged in the firefight was discovered dead close to the home’s entrance when SWAT teams got inside.
Two more people, a guy and a girl, were discovered dead inside the house as SWAT troops entered it to clear it and ascertain that there were no threats present or continuing. Both of the people were categorized as homicide victims by the police.
Preliminary data suggests that the armed suspect was wounded and died during the gunfight with law enforcement. The suspect may have been engaged in the other three homicides connected to the investigation, according to police, however this may not be known until the four deceased were examined by a physician.
As of Friday afternoon, none of the four people killed—the suspect and the three victims—had been identified.
The man found dead near the porch was between 45 and 55 years old, while the woman found inside the house was between 30 and 40 years old. Police believe the culprit was a convicted felon who was 61 years old.
The other male discovered in the basement of the house had no recognized age range. In the living room of the house, the second woman was discovered dead.
During their investigation of the house, investigators discovered five guns, three of which were close to the suspect.
Although the case is still being investigated, police said the deaths of the two homicide victims inside the house may be related to the one discovered on the porch.
