St. Louis police officers fatally shot a 16-year-old who was allegedly reaching for a gun, police said.
Crime scene tape blows in the wind on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, near the scene in the 2800 block of North Florissant Avenue where St. Louis police say they shot and killed Black teenager Darryl Ross, 16, Sunday night in the city's Old North St. Louis neighborhood. ST. LOUIS — St. Louis police officers fatally shot a 16-year-old who was reaching for a gun, police said Monday.
Ross, armed with a gun according to the police report, walked away quickly to an alley. The detectives followed him and announced they were police officers. Ross ran, then tripped and fell, dropping a pistol, police said.As the detectives approached, Ross reached for the pistol, the report said, prompting both officers to shoot him. Ross was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The officers were unhurt.
In August, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed legislation creating a Division of Civilian Oversight, an independent agency to investigate allegations of police misconduct and use of force incidents. Under the new law, a Force Investigation Unit under the direction of the circuit attorney investigates use-of-force incidents.