Early in the evening calls came in of a gunman with a semi automatic assault rifle opening fire on 22nd street. A police officer responding to the scene was killed when bullets struck the back window of his cruiser seven times.
The gunman was shot and killed when other officers responded to the scene. The shooting officer’s name was not revealed to the public.
According to the police the gunman also shot at four or five other civilians, but none were injured seriously.
“The shooter had a Mohawk and was wearing camouflage. He had a shotgun strapped to his back and a knife in his belt,” according to Officer Connors
Officer Bradley Thomas Arn was the first to report to the scene when he was struck in the back of the head with a bullet that flew through his rear window, according to the police report.
Witness Roger Liberty, who lives in the area, described the shooting, “I saw two cop cars. The guy started shooting at them. I knew the cop got hit; his car lurched and zigzagged.”
He is the first St Joseph Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1991, and the first to be shot since 1944. (sidebar)
Police are still investigating motives for this seemingly random shooting spree.
“The shooter was firing randomly; he didn’t care what was in front of his gun. The situation was handled well. They (the officers) did a good job. They did what they were trained to do,” Said Officer Connors
Police are currently using fingerprints in an effort to identify the shooter.
Officer Bradley Thomas Arn is survived by his wife and two 3 year old twin daughters. There is no info on a funeral service, but there will be a 10 a.m. press conference tommorow, police said (sidebar with funeral updates)
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