St. Louis Police are trying to track down a gunman who they say ambushed an officer in a shooting.
Around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night, a gunman pulled up in a silver car next to a marked Chevy Tahoe and opened fire, St. Louis Police Department Police Chief Sam Dotson told reporters.
One officer, a 46-year-old sergeant who was a 20-year veteran, was shot twice in the head but is expected to survive.
“This officer was not involved in a traffic stop,” Dotson said. “This officer was not trying to pull this car over. This officer was driving down the road and was ambushed.”
Staring down the barrel of the gun
According to Dotson, the wounder officer’s gun was still in a holster as the suspect pulled alongside the vehicle.
The officer, who looked to his left, told investigators he saw the muzzle flash and felt the glass window shatter against him.
After the shooting, the wounded sergeant called 911 dispatch on his radio. Soon, first responders arrived at the scene of the shooting and transported him to a nearby hospital.
The officer was unable to provide details about the shooter, Dotson said. St. Louis Police investigators, who are collecting evidence including shell casing, plan to look at surveillance footage from the surrounding area.
First San Antonio, now St. Louis
The St. Louis shooting was the second targeted shooting of a police officer on Sunday. Earlier in the day, a San Antonio police officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described the shooting as a targeted attack that resembled police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
To take precaution against further attacks, Dotson said all St. Louis officers will be partnered up on patrol for the foreseeable future.
The St. Louis Police Department has also called in special operations forces, S.W.A.T. units, and helicopter units to assist in tracking down the gunman.
Mayor: ‘This person has to be stopped’
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, noting that the officer was a husband with three children, said the officer “didn’t deserve this.”
“This is traumatic for him, his family, the city of St. Louis,” Slay said.
In a series of tweets, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon expressed his support for the officer and called the attack a “reminder of dangerous job law enforcement officers have each day in protecting us.”
Slay also called upon the public to provide police with any information that might led to the gunman’s arrest and a reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
“This person has to be stopped,” the mayor said. “He is dangerous. He will do this again if he is not stopped.”