Security Guard Fatally Shoots Thief After Falling Victim To A Vehicular Assault

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURRI — A man is dead after being shot by the armed security guard that he struck and ran over with a vehicle.  Police were called to the scene at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital at 1:11 a.m. Wednesday for a reported shooting.

The guard was a member of the facility’s in-house security force and is currently listed in critical condition. SLPD officers located the suspect lying on the ground at South Grand and Lafayette Avenue near the I-44 overpass, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police have determined that the guard was investigating a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the hospital. Upon being struck by the vehicle, the guard was thrown onto the hood, then thrown to the ground and ran over by the vehicle.

The guard managed to fire five shots into the front area of the red Kia Soul, leaving a closely clustered set of bullet holes in the hood. The driver, who was suspected of breaking into cars, then crashed into a parked car. He and a female passenger fled the scene on foot, and he was found nearby by police.

He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. His identity has not been released by officials, but local news media is reporting that their sources say he has a lengthy criminal history that includes outstanding bench warrants out of St. Louis. His previous crimes include domestic assault, property damage, drug possession and previous car break-ins in neighboring communities including Maplewood and Ferguson.

The 26-year-old female accomplice returned to the scene after fleeing with the suspect and attempted to remove the suspect vehicle from the scene. Unable to drive the damaged Soul, she attempted to flee the scene on foot a second time and was stopped after officers used a Taser.

She also has outstanding bench warrants from St. Louis as well as arrests for drugs, endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest. Police are asking the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office for charges of murder, assault and armed criminal action in the felonious act(s) which resulted in her criminal partner’s death. Missouri is one of several states where individuals can be charged with murder if felony crime committed together results in the death of an accomplice. Her name has not yet been released, pending charges.

Speaking on behalf of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, administrators said that the 38-year-old guard’s family has asked for privacy. They also issued the following statement:

“This has been a difficult day at Cardinal Glennon. We’re a tight-knit community — in many ways a family — and to have one of our own critically injured like this is upsetting. SSM Health believes in the power of prayer, and we ask the community to join us in praying for healing for our friend and colleague.