No charges filed against Webster Groves officer in fatal May shooting
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Webster Groves, Missouri (KMOV) — No charges will be filed against the Webster Groves police officer who fatally shot a man on the interstate in May.
Dash cam video of a shooting involving a Webster Groves police officer on I-44 in May was released Monday.
The entire incident was captured on the officer’s dashcam, which showed an officer pull over to check on a car that was stopped in the left lane of Interstate 44 near Elm around 8:30 p.m. on May 5, 2020. When the officer approached the car, he had his flashlight in his hand and his gun holstered at his side. According to authorities, the man inside the car, Qavon Webb, opened his car door and began shooting at the officer almost immediately.
Webb fired six shots, hitting the officer numerous times, officials said. Authorities said the officer’s bulletproof vest protect him from more serious injuries.
According to officials, when Webb ran out of bullets, he physically attacked the officer, at which time the officer grabbed his gun and shot at Webb 13 times. Webb was hit by gunfire four times, one of which was a fatal gunshot to the chest.
“The officer’s use of lethal force was fully justified,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. “In fact, his use of force – and the protective gear that blocked a gunshot to his chest – saved his own life. We are thankful that the officer reacted quickly, and that his life was spared.”
The police officer stopped along I-44 near Elm to help what he believed was a stranded driver. Instead that driver began shooting at the officer.
The police officer was able to apply a tourniquet to himself and was rushed to the hospital by a second police officer. The Webster Groves police officer was about 36 years old and had seven years of law enforcement experience. His name has not been released.
“Thankfully he was able to apply that tourniquet. Thankful he had a second officer there to expedite his arrival to the hospital and he had all those things going at the same time,” said St. Louis County Police Sergeant Ben Granda shortly after the shooting.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the shooting and then presented the case to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in late December. Within Prosecuting Attorney Bell’s Office, a review was done by the Conviction and Incident Review Unit.
“Once again, video evidence was essential in establishing the facts in a use-of-force incident,” Mr. Bell said. “This demonstrates once again the tremendous public value in police dashboard and body cameras.”
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