FERGUSON, Mo. – Two St. Louis City police officers were rushed to a local hospital Wednesday afternoon after being shot in Ferguson.
The officers were attempting to apprehend a suspect wanted in connection with an overnight homicide when they were shot near West Florissant Avenue and Northwind Estates Drive in St. Louis County.
The two officers were approaching a vehicle when shots were fired, according to St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Jon Hayden. He said one officer was hit in the abdomen and is in very critical condition.
“They have discussed moving him to the ICU, so we are encouraged by that,” Hayden said during a joint press conference with the St. Louis County Police Department. “He is not out of the woods, but the doctors will tell you he’s doing better now than when he first came in.”
The other officer was hit in the leg. Both officers were taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for treatment. The critically-injured officer underwent emergency surgery.
St. Louis County Police Lt. Col. Steve Sack said several suspects are in custody. He said one of those suspects was shot during the incident and taken to Barnes. It’s unclear whether the suspect was shot by police.
“We’re going to come together and support each other in this,” Sack said. “We ask the public to recognize the danger that these officers face every single day as they go out there and do their jobs.”
At an earlier press briefing on Wednesday, Hayden got emotional while talking about how it’s been a difficult time for first responders lately.
“This is a rough time,” said Hayden.
Two officers in the department were injured in a car wreck on I-64 earlier this week. A mobile reserve officer was also shot at during a traffic stop Monday afternoon.
The two officers were both in their mid-20s. The one in serious condition had been with the department for 3.5 years. The other was 2.5 years.
“I know our city is praying for officers and their families, and we are grateful for the hard work of medical professionals caring for them,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said in a statement posted on Twitter.
St. Louis County is handling the investigation in collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
