WENTZVILLE, Mo. – The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 reopened to drivers on Wednesday at noon. Those lanes were shut down around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday after officers shot and killed a suspect. The police ran the driver’s pickup truck’s license plate, and it didn’t match the vehicle.
“Task force officers attempted to stop a vehicle in the area of Highway 70 and 79 for failing to yield,” said Sgt. Jacob Schmidt from the Wentzville Police Department. “Wentzville officers then utilized spike strips successfully in the area of Highway 70 and Highway Z. But the vehicle still traveled a little bit further. In an attempt to stop the vehicle, they used the spike strips. The suspect vehicle then continued on Highway 70 near Langtree, where it exited the highway near Highway 70 and Langtree.”
According to authorities, the man and woman fled the vehicle and began running after the male driver suspect turned around and pointed a gun at officers.
“Two officers fired shots, striking the driver suspect,” Schmidt said. “Both suspects were taken into custody on the scene, a short distance from the vehicle. Officers rendered aid to the suspect, and medics were able to stabilize him enough to transport him to the hospital. Unfortunately, he was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
A weapon was found at the scene.
One of the officers that fired the shot is a St. Charles police officer, and the other is a St. Peters police officer. Both were not injured.
As of the late afternoon, police had not identified the suspects or filed any pending charges.
According to Wentzville Police, a special police unit is looking into the incident to try and insure a fair and transparent investigation.