Policemen under fire during deadly weekend
5 cops shot, 2 suspects killed during incidents
A violent weekend saw five police officers wounded in shootouts in cities across the country.
A St. Louis police officer who was shot in the head while responding to a shooting on the city’s south side remained in critical condition Sunday, police said.
A second officer who was shot in the leg was treated and released after the shooting about 6 p.m. Saturday in the South Grand neighborhood near Tower Grove Park, St. Louis Police Department spokeswoman Officer Michelle Woodling said.
A 43-year-old suspect was taken into custody Sunday morning, Woodling said.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief John Hayden said the gunman forced a family out of a home and barricaded himself inside for almost 12 hours.
Officers had been searching for a reported shooting victim when the gunman shot one of them in the head and the other in the leg, Hayden said.
The officers were “trying to do their job, that’s all they’re trying to do, and they’re suffering under gunfire,” Hayden said, adding that the incidents are part of “a surge in violence” this summer. He asked residents to pray for the officers.
Hayden said eight of his officers have been shot in the line of duty since June 1.
Two other officers were shot in Chicago during a struggle with a suspect during a traffic stop early Sunday,
prompting a third officer to return fire, injuring the suspect.
The two officers spotted a gun in the suspect’s vehicle during the traffic stop in Garfield Park, Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown said during a news conference. When the suspect refused to get out of the car, the officers shattered the vehicle’s window.
A struggle ensued, and both officers were shot, Brown said. A third officer arrived during the struggle and shot the suspect. The wounded officers were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.
One officer was shot twice and is in serious but stable condition, Dr. Hayden Hollister said.
The suspect was taken to Loyola University Medical Center. His condition was listed as stable, news outlets said.
In Daytona Beach, Florida, a suspect was shot dead by police after he opened
fire on officers serving a warrant for his arrest, officials said.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri said one of the officers was shot in the chest but was wearing his bulletproof vest and was expected to recover.
The suspect was 44-year-old Michael Harris.
“The suspect fired at officers first, and we defended ourselves. And I can tell you if you pull a gun on a police officer to shoot a police officer, you are going to get killed. As simple as that,” Capri said.
Police in Dearborn, Michigan, were fired on Saturday from a second-floor balcony by a 43-year-old gunman who had fatally shot his mother and sister at an apartment.
Officers killed the gunman after he refused orders to drop the semi-automatic rifle.