ST. LOUIS – Fox 2/News 11 confirmed that the police officer involved in the shooting of a shoplifting suspect outside the Ladue Crossing Schnucks store is among a group of first responders who were honored for life-saving actions at a shooting at another Schnucks location two years ago.
There’s also word from the office of St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell that expects at least a preliminary report on the investigation in the next day or two.
Those first responders were honored for helping to save the life of a woman who was shot by her estranged husband multiple times in March of 2017 outside the Schnucks at Lindbergh Blvd. and Clayton Road. The man then killed himself.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Ladue officer shot a 33-year-old woman suspected of shoplifting at the Ladue Crossing Schnucks, police said.
There was a loud, boisterous scene inside the store as workers tried to keep the woman from leaving with items she didn’t pay for, witnesses said. She assaulted a worker who tried to help her after she fell in the parking lot, according to a news release from Schnucks.
She was later shot during a struggle with the officer as she resisted arrest, police said.
A small group of protesters gathered at the Ladue Crossing Shopping Center Wednesday night, calling for more transparency from St. Louis County police, who are leading the investigation.
Police have yet to release details like whether the suspect was armed and the nature of the struggle with the officer.
There are reasons for that. One key is the recovery of the woman who was shot. Her story is critical but so is her recovery, police said. They don’t want to rush it.
The officer involved is a 37-year-old woman, with 13 years as a police officer. She is on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
