ST. LOUIS — A man has been charged in connection to a shooting involving a St. Louis police officer over the weekend.
Demond Montrell Lee Jr., 20, has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon – flourishing.
At around 7:05 p.m. on Sunday, a police officer attempted to curb a black Nissan Altima in the 4200 block of Kennerly Avenue. As the officer attempted to get back in his patrol car and activate his lights, the driver of the Altima fled and struck a street sign.
Police said after the crash, two people ran away from the car. The officer followed the suspects in his patrol car to the 4300 block of Cottage Avenue where one of the suspects threw a gun over a fence.
After the suspects climbed over the fence, one of the suspects, later identified as Lee, picked up the gun and pointed it towards the officer. The officer fired at Lee, hitting him in his arm and lower body.
Lee was taken to the hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
The second suspect, an 18-year-old man, was taken into custody. Police recovered two guns from the scene.
No officers were injured in the shooting. The officer who shot the suspect is 30 years old and has been with the department for three years.
Chief John Hayden said the officer has been placed on administrative leave.
“It’s a very trying time for police officers,” Hayden said following the shooting. “The officers are doing their best job on a daily basis, trying to cope with all the violence as well as make sure they go home every day.”
A few hours after this shooting, a St. Louis police officer was shot in the College Hill neighborhood. Monday morning, the department tweeted that the officer has been released from the hospital.
