An 18-year-old allegedly attempted suicide on Tuesday after exchanging gunfire with police near the Normandy-Ferguson townline in Missouri on Wednesday.
A post on the St. Louis County Police Department’s Facebook page states officers responded to a request by family members for help with an 18-year-old male.
“Normandy officers made contact with this individual, an 18-year-old male, in that area, and attempted to open a dialogue with him,” the statement read. “The male was uncooperative with the officers and members of his family, and continued walking into the 7700 block of Ellington.”
The police said they again tried to talk with the teen but he pulled a gun from his waistband and began to shoot. They responded with a taser and gunfire but missed.
Police say the 18-year-old then fled, and officers lost sight of him. Before they were able to reconnect, they heard a gunshot.
“As officers turned the corner, they observed the male lying on the ground unresponsive and immediately began rendering first aid,” the Facebook post read.
The police have yet to release a name of the 18-year-old although he is said to be in critical condition.
There were family members on scene who protested the police department’s version of the incident shortly afterwards, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a white police officer occurred in nearby Ferguson last August, which in turn led to several large protests and massive civil unrest.
Local resident Deron Smith told the Post-Dispatch that he witnessed some of the chase and he did not see a gun in the man’s hands.
Comments