WENTZVILLE, Mo. – One man died, and one woman is behind bars after in an investigation that prompted officers to fire shots late Tuesday evening in St. Charles County.
An officer fatally shot Sonny J. Vincent, 36, after he reportedly pointed a gun in the direction of officers following a police chase. Police arrested one woman, Amber Smith, 37, connected to the case.
The Wentzville Police Department, in an update to the investigation Thursday, says Vincent and Smith were riding in a stolen truck and Vincent had pointed a stolen gun at officers.
The investigation unfolded around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Highway 79 in St. Peters. Investigators with the St. Charles County Criminal Interdiction Task Force ran a pick-up truck’s license plate, and it did not match the vehicle.
After that, officers tried to pull the truck over. But the driver took off, prompting a miles-long chase along Interstate 70.
Police deployed spike strips out at 70 West near Highway Z. The truck ran over the spike strips and stopped a short time later in a grassy area off the right side of 70 West near Langtree Drive and Wentzville city limits.
Vincent and Smith, got out of the car and tried to run from officers. Vincent reportedly pointed a gun at law enforcement, leading to two officers firing shots.
The preliminary investigation reveals that the vehicle chased, a 2011 Black Chevrolet Silverado, was reported stolen from St. Louis County and the gun Vincent reportedly flashed was stolen from Marion, Illinois.
Vincent, a resident of Middletown, Missouri, had a criminal history dating back to 2013 and was recently released from prison over a drug possession case last November, per Missouri court records.
Smith is charged with unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, forgery, resisting/interfering with arrest and tampering with a motor vehicle in the case. She was not shot, nor suffered significant injuries.
According to the Wentzville Police Department, the two officers who fired shots included one St. Charles City police officer with eight years of experience and one St. Peters police officer with nine years of experience. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave with further investigation pending.
The St. Charles County Regional Critical Incident Response Team will serve as an independent party in the investigation. The team will review evidence, videos, statements and interviews tied to the investigation.