St. Louis Police Officer Shot in Neck During Traffic Stop

A St. Louis police officer was shot in the neck during a traffic stop.

A traffic stop in St. Louis Friday morning turned violent when a police officer was shot in the neck police said reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The victim, who police have only identified as a male Ballwin Police Department officer, reportedly stopped the car on account of speeding at about 11 a.m. Police said he was shot when he turned around to walk back to his car. The driver got out of his car and "advanced quickly" before firing three shots at the officer.

After the shooting police said the suspect fled in his car before exiting the vehicle and leading police on a foot chase. Police eventually caught the suspect and arrested him.

One woman who heard the shots said she ran outside to see what happened reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Once she saw the officer she tried to stop the bleeding by putting a towel on his neck.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said during a press conference Friday, "Make no mistake, we believe that Ballwin officer was ambushed." During the same press conference Ballwin Chief Kevin Scott said the officer, who had been taken to St. Louis' Mercy Hospital, was in "critical but stable condition."

Earlier today we had an officer who was shot in the line of
duty. The officer is currently in critical
but stable condition. (1/2)
2/2Thank you to the community for the outpouring of prayers &
support.We look forward to the
cont. support of the community during this time

"Emotionally, our relationship with this officer and the fact that it was one of ours is very, very difficult to deal with," Scott said.

Police have identified the suspect as 31-year-old Antonio Taylor. He has been charged with first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer and unlawful weapon possession reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Taylor used a .22-caliber gun in the shooting court documents revealed.

As of now police hadn't found a motive for the shooting, which comes after the tragic Dallas shooting last night which left five police officers dead.

Latest in Life