Officer Injured After Being Shot by Motorist in St. Louis Suburb — Here's What We Know

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A suburban St. Louis police officer was hospitalized Friday after being shot during a confrontation with a motorist, authorities said.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar didn't offer any immediate word about the medical status of the Ballwin officer wounded during the shooting, which happened at about 11 a.m. Friday. But Belmar told KMOV-TV the officer took "a hard hit."

Earlier today we had an officer who was shot in the line of
duty. The officer is currently in critical
but stable condition. (1/2)

— Ballwin Police Dept (@BallwinPolice) July 8, 2016

Belmar, who said a suspect is in custody and a gun was recovered, was to offer more details at a news conference later Friday. The officer's name has not been released.

Ballwin police shooting suspect in custody. Weapon recovered. We are handling the investigation but have no further details at this time.

— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) July 8, 2016

Belmar said that after the shooting, the suspect sped away but abandoned the car and ran. The suspect was arrested after a foot chase.

The west St. Louis County police force in 30,000-resident Ballwin has 51 commissioned officers and "will serve the community through professional conduct at all times without prejudice or bias," according to the department's website.

Three times since 2005, the suburb, which is roughly 90 percent white, has been named by Money magazine as among the nation's 100 best places to live due to, among other things, its low crime rate.

KMOV.com

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