FERGUSON, MO (KTVI) – Police were involved in two stand-offs in north St. Louis County. The two hour standoff in St. John was most likely from a false police report. A man in Ferguson barricaded himself into a home after shooting his brother. The victim is expected to survive.
Police were involved in a standoff after responding to report of a shooting in Ferguson. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Lorenzo Foster, 40, barricaded himself into a home in the 400 block of Warford. Ferguson police say that he shot his brother in the head. They say the victim was taken to the hospital and was alert in the ambulance.
The suspect in Ferguson was apprehended an hour later. Police say he turned himself in at a church. He has been taken to a mental hospital. His family tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that changes in his personality may be due to heroin use.
Ferguson Middle and January-Wabash Elementary schools were on lock-down due to their proximity to the scene. Dismissal was delayed until after 4:30, when the standoff finally came to an end. While the lockdown was in effect, parents were permitted to pick up their children at school. 5th grade parent Tiffany Bush told FOX 2, “I was a little nervous right away, but I just knew that I’d want to go get my kid as soon as possible, so I was glad I was able to leave work and go get him. “ Parents received automated phone calls earlier in the afternoon, alerting them of the situation. Ferguson-Florissant School District Spokesperson Jana Shortt said, “I don’t think that there was a threat to students’ safety at any time today, but police will sometimes request that we do these things, just to keep the area clear and just in case.”
Police blocked off area streets during the standoff. St. Charles County Police Tactical Team were called to assist the Ferguson Police Department with negotiations.
An number of Ferguson protesters were in the area. They posted images and video of the situation to social media. At one point they confronted police. The incident ended peacefully.
The St. Louis County SWAT team was called to a St. John home near the intersection of Brown Road and Midland Tuesday afternoon after police received a supposed tip. A man called to report that he’d stabbed someone and had a person tied up. Police responded, but did not find any victims. Authorities were on the scene for over two hours. Read more about the St. John standoff here.
