Gunman wounds 2 St. Louis police officers, barricades himself in building

ST. LOUIS — Two St. Louis police officers were wounded Saturday when a gunman opened fire and then barricaded himself in a home, authorities said.

The officers were responding to a shooting when they were wounded in the Tower Grove South neighborhood, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. One officer was shot in the head and “very critically injured,” Police Chief John Hayden told reporters.

The second officer was shot in the leg. Both officers were taken to area hospitals, KMOV reported.

“Our officers have been going through a lot this summer,” Hayden told reporters outside St. Louis University Hospital. “We’ve had a surge in violence.”

The shooting occurred shortly before 6 p.m., the Post-Dispatch reported.

The alleged gunman ordered a family out of their home at gunpoint and barricaded himself inside the residence, Hayden said.

Streets were closed and SWAT officers entered the neighborhood, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Hayden said there have been eight officers shot in the line of duty in St. Louis since June 1.

The officers were “trying to do their job, that’s all they’re trying to do and they’re suffering under gunfire,” Hayden told reporters. “We’re trying to cope through a very trying summer and it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult.”

The case remains under investigation. As of late Saturday, the gunman was still in the home.

Cox Media Group