ST. LOUIS – St. Louis police shot and killed a man Tuesday morning after investigators said he confronted officers with multiple weapons in downtown St. Louis.
According to Mitch McCoy, director of public affairs and information for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the shooting happened shortly after 11 a.m. Officers initially reported the incident near Washington Avenue and North Broadway.
Police received calls just before 11 a.m. about a man swinging a pipe near Locust Street and North Broadway. A bike officer found the man minutes later at Broadway and Olive Street.
McCoy said the man threw a cup of coffee at the officer before the officer could get off the bike, then ran north on Broadway.
Other officers later encountered the man near Broadway and Lucas Avenue. McCoy said officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the pipe, but he refused.
Police used a stun gun, but McCoy said it had no effect. The man ran again as officers chased him and continued yelling for him to drop the pipe.
At one point, the man turned and charged toward an officer with the pipe raised, McCoy said. The officer then fired a shot at the suspect, who tried to hide behind a vehicle.
“The officers fired shots first when he had the pipe after charging officers. Within seconds, he pulled a knife and tried to charge our officers,” McCoy said.
Officers continued ordering the man to drop the weapon, but instead, he pulled out a large butcher-style knife and moved toward police. The officer who fired the initial shot opened fire again, striking the armed man.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Investigators also found that he was carrying his own stun gun. McCoy said no officers suffered serious injuries.
Some downtown workers questioned whether the confrontation could have ended differently.
“I know they’re trained to think quickly, but there should be some type of other training that doesn’t end in death,” said Vanessa, who works downtown. “Where we can de-escalate, find a different solution that doesn’t end in someone losing their life.”
Police have not released the identities of the man or the officers involved. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Force Investigation Unit is reviewing the shooting, as it does in all police use-of-force cases.
Just after 3:20 p.m., the SLMPD posted photos on X showing the pipe, butcher knife, and stun gun allegedly found in the suspect’s possession.
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