Police Fatally Shoot Suspect Downtown

St. Louis police shot and killed a man in downtown St. Louis on Tuesday morning after officers said he charged at them with a metal pipe and then a large knife. The encounter began just before 11 a.m. on May 19, when police received calls about a man swinging a pipe near Locust Street and North Broadway, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The confrontation moved several blocks north through the downtown core, ending near Broadway and Washington Avenue, close to The Dome at America’s Center. The man was taken to a hospital and later died, police said. No officers were seriously injured, authorities said. ### Where did the encounter start, and where did it end? Locust Street and Broadway was the first location tied to the incident in police accounts released Tuesday. St. Louis Public Radio and KSDK both reported that officers were dispatched after calls about a man waving or swinging a large pipe near that intersection, not far from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. (stlpr.org) Broadway and Olive Street was where a bicycle officer first spotted the man, police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said. Broadway and Washington Avenue, across from The Dome at America’s Center, was where the fatal shooting occurred after officers pursued him north, according to police accounts carried by KSDK and Fox 2. St. Louis Public Radio reported officers caught up with him near the Missouri Athletic Club before the shooting. (stlpr.org) ### What do police say happened before the shots were fired? A bicycle officer encountered the man near Broadway and Olive, where police said he threw a cup of coffee at the officer and ran. Additional officers responded to the call for help and repeatedly ordered him to drop the pipe, according to police statements reported by local outlets. (ksdk.com) A Taser was deployed during the confrontation, but police said it had no effect. McCoy said the man then turned toward officers, raised the pipe and charged, prompting an officer to fire. Police said the man then pulled out what they described as a butcher-style or chef’s knife and moved at officers again within seconds, and an officer fired a second time, striking him. (stlpr.org) ### What weapons do investigators say the man had? Police said the man had a metal pipe that appeared to resemble part of a pop-up tent frame. St. Louis Public Radio reported that investigators also said he had some kind of stun gun. Fox 2 reported that police later said the man was carrying his own stun gun in addition to the pipe and a large butcher-style knife. (ksdk.com) KSDK quoted McCoy as saying body-camera and dash-camera footage showed what he described as “a bright shiny object,” referring to the knife officers say the man pulled during the second confrontation. (stlpr.org) ### What has not been released yet? Police had not publicly identified the man as of Tuesday evening. Authorities also had not released the name of the officer who fired, and officers were still trying to determine whether the man had threatened anyone before police arrived, according to St. Louis Public Radio and Fox 2. (fox2now.com) The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has said the case is being handled by its Force Investigation Unit. The department’s critical-incidents page says updates on force investigations are released as details become available and that early information is preliminary and may change. ### What happens next in the investigation? (stlpr.org) Body-camera and dash-camera footage captured portions of the encounter and will be reviewed as part of the investigation, McCoy said during a Tuesday briefing. That review, along with the Force Investigation Unit inquiry, is the next formal step identified by police in the case. (fox2now.com) Any public update on the man’s identity, the officers involved or additional evidence would be expected through the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s force-investigation process and public statements from department officials. (stlpr.org) (ksdk.com)